Cannabis used for kids epilepsy
Promising results from a small study of children who were given an experimental cannabis drug for their hard-to-treat epilepsy has sent shares in its British maker, GW Pharmaceuticals, soaring.
The company, which grows cannabis under license at a secret location in Britain, is developing a range of so-called cannabinoid medicines.
It already sells Sativex across Europe for spasticity caused by multiple sclerosis.
The latest findings for Epidiolex, its new product, come from an assessment of 27 children and young adults with treatment-resistant epilepsy who were given the drug at two U.S. hospitals.
The medicine contains cannabinoid elements but none of the psychoactive ingredients that make marijuana smokers high.
The pharmaceuticals company said that the results after 12 weeks of therapy in the open-label study showed a reduction in seizure frequency of more than 50 percent.
It will begin phases 2 and 3 clinical trials over the second half of the year.
Justin Gover, GWs chief executive, said he expected Epidiolex would be ready for submission to U.S. and European regulators in 2016.
John Petrick