By Kemo Cham
[First published on www.politicosl.com] A clinical trial on a drug
manufactured from Cannabis has proved successful in the treatment of a rare
form of severe epilepsy in children, reports said.
The drug, Epidiolex, is manufactured
by UK-based GW Pharmaceuticals with the use of cannabinoids, an active
ingredients found in marijuana. It is used to treat Dravet syndrome.
The final result of the trial is
expected later this year.
Epilepsy is a neurological disorder
that is caused by electrical sparks which leads to seizures. Dravet syndrome is
a type of epilepsy with seizures that are often triggered by hot temperatures
or fever. It often begins around six months of age.
Some 120-patient involved in the
trial showed achieved a median reduction in monthly convulsive seizures of 39
percent compared with a reduction on placebo of 13 percent, the findings show,
according to a Reuters report.
“This shows that cannabinoids can
produce
compelling and clinical important data and represent a highly promising
new class of medications, hopefully in a range of conditions,” Chief Executive
of GW Justin Gover said.
The company is planning to request
for a meeting with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to seek regulatory
approval to treat the form of epilepsy. FDA is the regulatory body which
licences drugs.
Epidiolex is given as a
child-friendly syrup.
Dravet syndrome, which is also known
as Severe Myoclonic Epilepsy of Infancy (SMEI), is described as a debilitating,
life-long condition that can severely impede the quality of life of the
patient, according to the Dravet Syndrome Foundation. The patients experience
frequent seizures, poor seizure control, and developmental delays.
The Epilepsy Association of Sierra
Leone estimates that there are between 60 and 80, 000 epilepsy sufferers in the
country.
(C) Politico 17/03/16
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