A compound found in marijuana could help in treating people with certain types of epilepsy that are difficult to treat, researchers from the University of Alabama at Birmingham say.
The researchers, in two new studies, found that cannabidiol oil (CBD), a compound found in cannabis, has reduced the frequency and severity of seizures in children and adults with severe, intractable epilepsy.
According to Live Science, while CBD affects the brain, it does not produce euphoria or intoxication.
CBD oil was associated with an improvement in mood, which is independent of the extent of seizure reduction, the researchers said, adding that CBD may be able to help treat patients with epilepsy who haven’t benefited from standard epilepsy medications.
The CBD medicine “is not a silver bullet, but there are children who benefit from this more than they have from other treatments,” Dr. Elizabeth Thiele, who worked on both studies and is the director of the Pediatric Epilepsy Program at Massachusetts General Hospital, said in a statement.
The new medicine, called Epidiolex and manufactured by GW Pharmaceuticals, is not yet approved by the United States’ Food and Drug Administration, and is also not yet available for sale.
