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About Cenobamate

Cenobamate (YKP3089) was discovered by SK Biopharmaceuticals and SK life science and is a new U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved antiseizure medication (ASM) for the treatment of partial-onset seizures in adults (also known as focal-onset seizures). Cenobamate has been approved in the U.S. where it is commercially available under the trademark XCOPRI®. It is not yet approved by any other regulatory authorities.

Arvelle Therapeutics has licensed exclusive rights to develop and commercialize cenobamate in Europe from SK Biopharmaceuticals. Arvelle Therapeutics filed a Marketing Authorization Application (MAA) for cenobamate in EU as a treatment for focal-onset seizures in adult patients in March 2020 based on the data generated from SK life science’s global clinical trial program, involving more than 1,900 patients across the Phase 2 and 3 trials.

Cenobamate is a small molecule with a unique dual complementary mechanism of action. It is a positive allosteric modulator of subtypes of the γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA_A) ion channel, via a binding site different from benzodiazepines. Cenobamate has also been shown to reduce repetitive neuronal firing by enhancing the inactivation of sodium channels and by inhibiting the persistent component of the sodium current.

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