A drug made from Marijuana may help reduce seizures in people with certain types of epilepsy that are difficult to treat.
According to findings in a study, the drug is a purified solution of cannabidiol (CBD), a compound found in marijuana.
Although CBD affects the brain, it does not produce euphoria or intoxication, National Institute on Drug Abuse, stated. Marijuana refers to the dried leaves, flowers, stems, and seeds from the hemp plant, the Cannabis Sativa.
The plant contains the mind-altering chemical delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and other related compounds.
Extracts with high amounts of THC can also be made from the cannabis plant. Marijuana is the most commonly used illicit drug in the United States and its use is widespread among young people.
According to a report in the LiveScience, an online news site, the new medicine, called Epidiolex (manufactured by GW Pharmaceuticals), is not yet approved by the Food and Drug Administration, and is also not yet available for sale, even in states where medical marijuana is legal.
The study involved 120 children with a rare and severe form of epilepsy called Dravet syndrome that had caused them to experience at least four seizures in the past month.
The children were randomly assigned to take either the CBD medicine or a placebo, twice a day. After 14 weeks, the patients in the CBD group experienced a 39 per cent reduction in the frequency of their seizures on average, compared with a 13 per cent average reduction in the placebo group.
The other study involved 171 children and adults with a type of epilepsy called Lennox- Gastaut syndrome.
The participants in that study also took either CBD or a placebo for 14 weeks. To be included in that study, participants had to experience at least two “drop” seizures a week. Drop seizures mean they went limp and fell to the ground.
The researchers found that the patients in the CBD group experienced an average reduction of 44 per cent in the frequency of their drop seizures, compared with an average reduction of 22 per cent in the placebo group.
The finding suggests that CBD may be able to help treat patients with epilepsy who haven’t benefited from standard epilepsy medications, the researchers said.
Reacting to the development, Dr. Elizabeth Thiele, who worked on both studies and is the director of the Pediatric Epilepsy Program at Massachusetts General Hospital, said the CBD medicine “is not a silver bullet, but there are children who benefit from this more than they have from other treatments.”
Whereas, the patients in the new studies had tried four to six other anti-epilepsy drugs, which hadn’t helped their seizures.
By: Appolonia Adeyemi
The Newtelegrap News
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