Medical marijuana to be used to treat epilepsy

The New South Wales (NSW) government is starting clinical trials to use medical marijuana to treat epilepsy.

The government partnered with GW Pharmaceuticals to test the drug Epidiolex (cannabidiol or CBD) and cannabidivarin (CBDV in children with severe, drug resistant childhood epilepsy.

As part of this agreement,the NSW Government is providing US$3.5 million to the Sydney Children’s Hospitals Network to lead this world first, Phase 2 clinical trial in children, which is expected to start in 2016. Like CBD, CBDV does not produce the psychoactive effects associated with herbal cannabis.

The agreement also delivers a compassionate access program for Epidiolex for a small number of children who are too sick to participate in a clinical trial, due to the unrelenting nature of their epilepsy.

“This confirms NSW’s position as a world leader in cannabinoid research and demonstrates the determination of our Government to ensure we secure these groundbreaking trials,” stated NSW Premier Mike Baird. “Our research and development is driven by compassion for those suffering so we hope that these initiatives will bring relief to many children and their loved ones.”

The goal will be to gather local medication safety data which will support an application to the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration to make the product more widely available, if proven safe and effective.

The agreement, between the NSW Government and GW Pharmaceuticals, comes as part of the NSW Government’s US$21 million commitment to support medicinal cannabis reforms.

Category: Pharmaceuticals, Top Story