Children's cannabinol
In the US, for the first time, a marijuana-based drug was approved
Natalia Pelezneva, Naked Science
The American Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has for the first time allowed the use of a drug based on one of the cannabinoids contained in cannabis. The drug Epidiolex reduces the number of seizures in two rare and severe forms of epilepsy. The FDA's decision is reported on the organization's website.
The basis of the drug Epidiolex is cannabidiol (CBD), one of the components of cannabis. Unlike tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), cannabidiol does not have psychoactive properties. The drug is made in the form of strawberry-flavored syrup, you need to take it twice a day.
Epidiolex is designed to treat two severe forms of epilepsy – Dravet syndrome and Lennox–Gastaut syndrome. Both diseases are rare, they first appear in childhood: the first attack with Dravet syndrome in a child can occur at the age of several months. Diseases are accompanied by various types of seizures and loss of consciousness. At the same time, many modern antiepileptic drugs are ineffective in these diseases, so scientists are searching for new drugs.
Studies in recent years have shown that patients who took CBD were less likely to experience seizures. The FDA experts analyzed the results of three randomized placebo-controlled trials of the use of various CBD-based drugs in patients with severe forms of epilepsy. The tests involved 516 people with Dravet and Lennox–Gastaut syndromes. Epidiolex significantly reduced the number of seizures, the most common side effects were drowsiness and decreased appetite. The drug was allowed to be used in the therapy of children aged two years and older.
According to representatives of the company that produces Epidiolex, the drug may appear on sale in the United States in the fall of 2018. European health experts may also allow the use of drugs for severe forms of epilepsy – the final decision will be made in the spring of 2019.
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