On Monday, the GlaxoSmithKline PLC and Canadian partner Valeant Pharmaceuticals International Inc. had announced to receive an approval from the U. S. drug regulators for their epilepsy pill Potiga, as an add-on treatment for partial onset seizures, which begins in one side of the brain.

The Food and Drug Administration had approved the drug, usually known as ezogabine, as adjunctive treatment of partial-onset seizures in patients aged over 18. It is anticipated to hit the pharmacies in the United States by the end of the year.

The medicine was mutually developed by Glaxo and Valeant and acknowledged the marketing approval in the European Union at the end of March, under the brand name of Trobalt. The FDA has directed the pharmaceutical companies to compile a risk evaluation and Mitigation Strategy for use by doctors when prescribing the treatment as the drug was observed to cause urinary retention during the clinical trials.

"We believe this product will play a needed role in the management of partial onset seizures in appropriate patients who are uncontrolled on their current medications”, added the Valeant Head of Research and Development. "We are so pleased to reach such an important milestone with the U. S. approval of Potiga by the FDA”.

Meanwhile, analysts have forecasted that the drug may touch an annual sale of $200 million to $800 million.