The cannabis compound cannabidiol (CBD) “has an anti-seizure effect comparable to other anti-seizure medications with a positive safety profile”, according to a new study published by the journal Epilepsia Open.
In a retrospective multi-center study, researchers in Germany “analyzed the efficacy and tolerability of CBD in patients with epilepsy at 16 epilepsy centers.”
The study cohort comprised 311 patients (235 children, 76 adults) with epilepsy with a median age of 11.3 years (with a range of 0 to72). Therapy with CBD was off-label in 91.3% of cases due to age, epilepsy subtype, lack of adjunct therapy with clobazam, and/or higher dose applied.
“Of all patients, 36.9% experienced a reduction in seizure frequency of >50%, independent of their epilepsy subtype or clobazam co-medication”, states the study. The median observation period was 15.8 months.
The study concludes:
Our study highlights that CBD has an anti-seizure effect comparable to other anti-seizure medications with a positive safety profile independent of the epilepsy subtype. Comedication with clobazam was not associated with a better outcome. Higher doses to achieve seizure frequency reduction were safe, particularly in children. These findings call for further trials for an extended approval of CBD for other epilepsy subtypes and for children < 2 years of age.
More information on this study can be found by clicking here.
