The Nuance
A New Cannabis-Based Epilepsy Drug Is Going to Change Lives
A blockbuster decision by the FDA sets an important precedent and promises to help countless patients
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Every week, the Nuance will go beyond the basics, offering a deep and researched look at the latest science and expert insights on a buzzed-about health topic.
In late June, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved a new drug to treat epileptic seizures. That drug, Epidiolex, gives patients a concentrated dose of cannabidiol (CBD), an organic chemical compound derived from the cannabis plant. It’s the first time the FDA has approved a prescription drug that uses an active compound found in marijuana.
It’s hard to overstate the importance of this FDA decision.
Roughly one in seven epilepsy patients is a child, according to the CDC, and CBD has long been known to relieve epileptic seizures. Some parents of children with epilepsy have gone so far as to travel to states where cannabis products are legal to procure CBD oil and bring it back, often illegally, to help their kids. Online epilepsy communities are packed with heart-wrenching testimonials about the benefits of these products.
Now, parents and patients won’t have to travel so far afield to get the medicine — Epidiolex will make CBD accessible everywhere.
For now, the drug is approved only for the treatment of seizures in patients with certain rare forms of epilepsy. But experts say it’s likely to have wide-ranging benefits — and many doctors will likely prescribe it off-label, which is legal in the United States for approved drugs.
“I think it’s going to have pretty broad efficacy for other types [of epilepsy],” says Elizabeth Thiele, MD, PhD, a professor of neurology and director of the Pediatric Epilepsy Program at Massachusetts General Hospital.
It’s hard to overstate the importance of this FDA decision.
It’s at the discretion of insurers whether to cover off-label applications of the drug, but Thiele suspects some doctors will be willing to write the script. “The need for [seizure drugs] in pediatrics is huge…
