New drug candidate TAK-935 tested for Hard-to-Treat epileptic encephalopathies
NCT ID NCT03166215
First seen Sep 14, 2026 · Last updated Sep 15, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
Researchers are testing an experimental drug called TAK-935 in adults with developmental and/or epileptic encephalopathies, severe brain conditions that cause frequent seizures and developmental problems. The trial enrolls a small number of participants who continue their regular antiseizure medications and also receive either TAK-935 tablets or a placebo. The main goal is to see whether TAK-935 is safe and tolerable when added to existing treatment, and to measure how the body processes the drug.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- TAK-935, an experimental drug taken as tablets
- What this could lead to
- If TAK-935 proves safe and tolerable, it could become a new add-on option for adults whose developmental or epileptic encephalopathy is not fully controlled by current antiseizure drugs.
- What could go wrong
- This is a very small, early-stage study of 18 people, so it cannot show whether the drug works or rule out rare side effects. Many experimental epilepsy drugs fail in later testing or cause interactions with existing antiseizure medications.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Phase 1/2
Runs two stages together: safety and dose first, then whether the treatment works.
- Participants
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18 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Aug 2017
- Finished
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Sep 2018
- Lead sponsor
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A company
The lead sponsor is a pharmaceutical, biotech, or medical-device company.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 to 65 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: 1. Has a documented clinical diagnosis of developmental and/or epileptic encephalopathies with countable bilateral motor seizures, defined as an average of greater than or equal to (\>=) 2 per month during the past 3 months, based on the investigator's assessment, and a monthly average of \>=1 per month during the Baseline Period, based on the seizure diary record. 2. Has been taking 1 to 4 antiepileptic drug (AEDs) at a stable dose for \>=4 weeks before Screening and the participant or participant's legally acceptable representative is willing to keep the regimen(s) stable throughout the study. 3. Has an average of \>=1 bilateral motor seizure per month during the 4-week Baseline Period (that is., drop seizures, tonic-clonic, tonic, bilateral clonic, atonic, myoclonic-atonic, myoclonic-tonic-clonic, focal seizures with bilateral hyperkinetic motor features). 4. Must agree to not post any participant's personal medical data related to the study or information related to the study on any web site or social media site (example, Facebook, Twitter) until the study has been completed. 5. For participants with G-tube/PEG tube, G-tubes/PEG tubes should have been placed and been functioning for at least 3 months prior to screening. Naso-gastric tubes are not allowed. Exclusion Criteria: 1. Has received TAK-935 in a previous clinical study or as a therapeutic agent. 2. Was admitted to a medical facility for treatment of status epilepticus requiring mechanical respiration within 3 months before Screening. 3. Had a vagal nerve stimulator implanted within 6 months before Screening and settings have been changed within 1 month of the Screening Visit and/or anticipated to change during the study. 4. Is on ketogenic diet that has been started within 6 months of the Screening Visit, has been changed within 1 month of the Screening Visit, or is anticipated to change during the study. 5. Has degenerative eye disease. 6. Has a history of suicidal behavior or any suicidal ideation of type 4 or 5 on the Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS) at Screening. If the participant is unable to comply with the C-SSRS due to developmental status, a parent proxy may be used for the completion of the C-SSRS. The Investigator may also use clinical judgment, which must then be documented in the source document. 7. Positive for human immunodeficiency virus, hepatitis B, or hepatitis C infections. (Note that participants who have been vaccinated against hepatitis B \[hepatitis B surface antibody (Ab)-positive\] who are negative for other markers of prior hepatitis B infection \[example, negative for hepatitis B core Ab\] are eligible. Also note that participants who are positive for hepatitis C Ab are eligible as long as they have a negative hepatitis C viral load by quantitative polymerase chain reaction \[qPCR\]). 8. Has an abnormal and clinically significant ECG at Screening in the opinion of the investigator, for example, second or third degree heart block or a corrected QT interval (QTc) greater than (\>) 450 millisecond (msec). Entry of any participant with an abnormal but not clinically significant ECG must be approved and documented by signature by the principal investigator or appropriately qualified delegate. 9. Has abnormal clinical laboratory test results at Screening that suggest a clinically significant underlying disease. If the participant has alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and/or aspartate aminotransferase (AST) \>2.5\*the upper limit of normal (ULN), the Medical Monitor should be consulted. 10. Has received any excluded medications, procedures, or treatments during the time periods. 11. Has any a history of alcohol, opioid, or other drug use disorder, as per the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, within the previous 2 years before Screening. Medical marijuana use is allowed. 12. Has unstable, clinically significant neurologic (other than the disease being studied), psychiatric, cardiovascular, pulmonary, hepatic, renal, metabolic, gastrointestinal, urologic, immunologic, hematopoietic, or endocrine disease or other abnormality, which may impact the ability of the participant to participate or potentially confound the study results.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Bluegrass Epilepsy Research
Lexington, Kentucky, 40504, United States
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Center for Integrative Rare Disease Research
Atlanta, Georgia, 30318, United States
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Medical University of South Carolina
Charleston, South Carolina, 29425, United States
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Medsol Clinical Research Center
Port Charlotte, Florida, 33952, United States
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Mid-Atlantic Epilepsy and Sleep Center
Bethesda, Maryland, 20817, United States
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Northeast Regional Epilepsy Group
Hackensack, New Jersey, 07601, United States
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The Comprehensive Epilepsy Care Center for Children and Adults
St Louis, Missouri, 63131, United States
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Thomas Jefferson University
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19107, United States
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University of South Florida
Tampa, Florida, 33606, United States
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University of Virginia Health Sciences Center
Charlottesville, Virginia, 22903, United States
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Xenoscience
Phoenix, Arizona, 85004, United States
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