Pubdate: Tue, 15 Mar 2016
Source: Denver Post (CO)
Copyright: 2016 The Denver Post Corp
Contact:  http://www.denverpost.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/122
Author: Ricardo Baca

DRUG MAKER SAYS MARIJUANA OIL HELPED REDUCE SEIZURES IN KIDS

Experimental marijuana-based drug Epidiolex significantly reduced 
convulsive seizures among some epilepsy patients in a recent clinical 
trial, according to GW Pharmaceuticals, the U. K. company that makes the drug.

Among the drug's primary ingredients is cannabidiol, better known as 
CBD, a marijuana derivative that is not psychoactive. It is 
anecdotally known for helping some patients suffering from epilepsy, 
Crohn's disease and other diseases. There is little scientific 
evidence backing up patients' experiences with CBD, which is one of 
the reasons GW Pharmaceuticals' first-of-its-kind study is so important.

Epidiolex is being studied to treat Dravet syndrome, a rare type of 
epilepsy for which there are no treatments approved in the U. S.

GW Pharmaceuticals is in talks with federal regulators, hoping that 
Epidiolex will be introduced to the U. S. market-which would make it 
the first prescription drug in America that is extracted from cannabis.

"The results of this Epidiolex pivotal trial are important and 
exciting as they represent the first placebo-controlled evidence to 
support the safety and efficacy of pharmaceutical cannabidiol in 
children with Dravet syndrome, one of the most severe and 
difficult-to-treat types of epilepsy," Dr. Orrin Devinsky, of New 
York University Langone Medical Center's Comprehensive Epilepsy 
Center and the trial's principal investigator, said in a statement. 
"These data demonstrate that Epidiolex delivers clinically important 
reductions in seizure frequency together with an acceptable safety 
and tolerability profile, providing the epilepsy community with the 
prospect of an appropriately standardized and tested pharmaceutical 
formulation of cannabidiol being made available by prescription in the future."

Many families have moved to Colorado to seek CBD treatment for their 
children, many of whom suffer from epilepsy and other debilitating 
ailments. The Denver Post chronicled one family's experience in a 
series, "Desperate Journey."

The Epidiolex study had half of its 120 participants, whose average 
age was 10 years old, on the study drug and the other half on a 
placebo. The participant patients were taking an average of three 
other anti-epileptic medications and had an average of 13 convulsive 
seizures per month.

Those taking Epidiolex saw a reduction of monthly convulsive seizures 
of 39 percent while those on the placebo saw a reduction of 13 
percent, a statistically significant difference, wrote GW Pharmaceuticals.

The executive director of the Dravet Syndrome Foundation said safe 
and effective treatments are "desperately needed."

"We are thrilled to learn of these positive results, which bring 
much- needed hope to the children and families who have been living 
with these debilitating seizures," Mary Anne Meskis said in a statement.
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