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European Union Approves CBD-Based Seizure Medicine

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[dropcap class=”kp-dropcap”]G[/dropcap]W Pharmaceuticals officially announced on Sept. 23 that it has received European Commission Approval for Epidyolex, a CBD-based medication to treat severe seizures. Epidyolex is the European trade name for Epidiolex, as marketed in North America.

According to a press release from the company, the medicine is for severe forms of epilepsy. This move marks the very first time a drug that comes from cannabis has been officially approved for use in Europe. The medicine is an oral solution. 

“The approval of Epidyolex marks a significant milestone, offering patients and their families the first in a new class of epilepsy medicines and the first and only EMA-approved CBD medicine to treat two severe and life-threatening forms of childhood-onset epilepsy,” stated Justin Gover, the Chief Executive of GW Pharmaceuticals.

“This approval is the culmination of many years of dedication and collaboration between GW, physicians, and the epilepsy community,” Gover added. “We believe patients and physicians deserve access to rigorously tested and evaluated cannabis-based medicines, manufactured to the highest standards and approved by medicines regulators, and we are delighted to be the first to offer this solution to the epilepsy community.”

So far, the medicine was only approved for patients who suffer from Dravet syndrome and Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, two severe forms of epilepsy that can cause hundreds of seizures per day. The medicine can be used by anyone diagnosed with these conditions, as long as they are ages two or older, and also taking clobazam. The drug was approved last year in the U.S. by the FDA.

Although we’ve known for some time that CBD and cannabis oil can have a major positive impact on seizures, there is still a struggle to get it accepted and parents are still being demonized for its use. This is another major step toward normalizing CBD medication for seizures.

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