The families of children with severe epilepsy and epilepsy charities are pleading with the UK government to act on promises made two years ago around access to cannabis-based medicines.
From today, specialist clinicians can prescribe cannabis-based medicines in the UK to patients with “exceptional clinical need”. They will no longer need to apply to an expert panel for a licence.
The UK government has rescheduled cannabis-based medicines under the Misuse of Drugs regulations 2001. They are now no longer listed under Schedule 1 alongside substances considered to have no therapeutic effect.
On Monday 25 June, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the new cannabis-based medicine Epidiolex for use in Lennox-Gastuat syndrome (LGS) and Dravet syndrome.
Cannabidiol (CBD) may help reduce atonic seizures – or drop attacks – in people with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome (LGS). This is according to a new study in The Lancet published in January 2018.
A new study has found that cannabidiol could be an effective treatment for people with Dravet syndrome.
Cannabidiol comes from the cannabis plant. It does not contain the part of cannabis that gives a ‘high’ – the psychoactive part.
Using a drug based on a chemical found in the cannabis plant to treat epilepsy has been controversial to say the least. An early study from the US may lend more weight to its scientific standing, however. The study suggests that the drug is safe, well-tolerated and effective
A survey about using marijuana-based treatments appears to have split opinions between people with epilepsy and the doctors who treat them. Specialists warn there is not yet enough evidence to support their use
