FDA Greenlights First Marijuana-Based Medication for Epilepsy

(Fall 2018) This June the United States witnessed the first nod by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for a cannabis-based drug. Developed by GW Pharmaceuticals, it is an epilepsy medication called Epidiolex. The FDA notes that the medication lessened a patient’s number of seizures when paired with epilepsy drugs already on the market.

The FDA is allowing the new drug to be prescribed for individuals aged two years and up who are afflicted with Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome (LGS) or Dravet Syndrome (DS). Both are rare types of epilepsy that begin in childhood and do not respond well to pharmaceutical treatment.

Epidiolex is composed of cannabidiol (CBD), which is just one of many compounds identified in marijuana. CBD holds only a trace amount of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), so users do not get a “high” from the medication. Currently, GW Pharma produces its cannabis in the United Kingdom.

Marijuana, along with heroin, is classified as a Schedule I substance by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). All drugs listed as Schedule I are thought to be harmful and without any medicinal purpose. Because of this, the actual appearance of Epidiolex on the market depends on the DEA. The agency is now forced to rethink marijuana’s current classification for GW Pharma to bring its new drug to market.

The FDA’s approval of Epidiolex is anticipated to further propel the study of cannabis’ medicinal worth.

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