In recent times, the amount of clamor for the production and approval of CBD-based drugs is at an all time high. CBD or cannabidoil offers various potential health benefits to the human race.
Even though the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the United States has not approved the use of CBD based products as dietary supplements, the FDA has approved one CBD-based medication, Epidiolex.
Epidiolex, the first CBD drug ever passed by the FDA and was approved on the 25th of June 2018. It is distributed by GW pharmaceuticals Plc. The CBD-based medicine, Epidiolex, is available in all 50 states in the U.S.
How it Works
Epidiolex is a pharmaceutically formulated cannabidiol (CBD) drug. It is formulated with the highest purity CBD. Epidiolex is purported for the treatment of two unique cases of epilepsy seizures; the Lennox-Gestaut syndrome and the Dravet Syndrome.
Coupled with the fact that Epidiolex is not meant for all epilepsy sufferers, it is also limited to a certain age range. As of now, only patients, who are two years and above can use the Epidiolex for their condition.
Why the FDA Approved Epidiolex
FDA approved Epidiolex because it works better in alleviating seizures related to Lennox-Gestaut syndrome and the Dravet Syndrome. Both cases are characterized by multiple seizures and they usually begin at early childhood. The seizures have been found in infants and they usually remain until death.
The Dravet Syndrome, for example, occurs a few months after the child is born and it is characterized by fever-related seizures including the febrile seizures and the myoclonic seizures. At the end of the day, these seizures (involuntary muscle spasms) can compromise the child’s motor performance, language skills, or make the child hyperactive.
The Lennox-Gestaut syndrome, on the other hand, occurs in infants. Lennox-Gestaut syndrome suffers will start experiencing frequent seizures from age 3 and 5. if you are a Lennox-Gestaut syndrome sufferer, Odds are you will start experiencing tonic seizures (uncontrollable muscle contraction) from age 3. Children suffering from this condition may have problems learning. They may also wind up intellectually disabled with problems executing basic motor performances, like crawling, sitting, and so on.
However, with Epidiolex, these seizures have the potential to be alleviated. Before the FDA approved Epidiolex, they examined its effectiveness in 3 randomized, placebo-regulated medical trials. In these trials, 516 sufferers of these epilepsy conditions were treated with the Epidiolex prescription. When the results of the randomized chemical trials were compared to the placebo, Epidiolex proved potent in the alleviation of both Lennox-Gestaut syndrome and the Dravet Syndrome.
The side effects associated with the use of Epidiolex in the treatment of Lennox-Gestaut syndrome and the Dravet Syndrome are relatively mild. The side effects, include lethargy, sedation, sleepiness, and fatigue. For more info, read FDA’s press release on Epidiolex, here.
