Stella said he expected full, final approval to follow shortly. The new drug, fosphenytoin, will carry the brand name Cerebyx. It improves on phenytoin, brand name Dilantin, the standard drug used to control grand mal seizures and treat head trauma. Phenytoin is dissolved in a water-alcohol combination that serves as its medium of delivery into the bloodstream. This medium is highly alkaline, so it can cause irritation at the injection site.
Phenytoin can also depress the heart rate if it's injected too quickly.
Stella and his colleagues began tinkering with Phenytoin in their laboratories more than 16 years ago. They added pieces to its molecular structure and, in doing so, they produced a prodrug that would dissolve in water alone, a medium more acceptable to the body. A patent was issued on the discovery in 1981. The length of time between initial research and the release of a product on the market in the pharmaceutical industry is illustrated by the development of this new drug, according to Stella. However, he said, in this case, an entity such as the HBC could have helped speed the process.