The Second Eilat Conference on New Antiepileptic Drugs was held at the King Solomon's Palace Hotel from October 31 to November 3, 1994. Epileptologists and scientists from 20 countries attended the conference, which was held to discuss new trial designs, drug approval, early use of new antiepileptic drugs, and new drugs in development. Over the last six years, several novel antiepileptic drugs have been introduced worldwide, and new information on their safety and efficacy has become available. These include felbamate, gabapentin, lamotrigine, oxcarbazepine, and vigabatrin. Drugs in development include those at an advanced stage, such as topiramate and tiagabine, as well as those just entering clinical trials, such as remacemide and levetiracetam. The following is a summary of the presentations for drugs in development and newly marketed drugs. The meeting concluded with a presentation, 'Still Searching for the Magic Bullet'.