A marijuana-derived drug has been proven to reduce epileptic seizures in children by 39 percent, according to a new study. Shares of the company that manufactured the drug doubled after the release of the study.
The new study that observed 11 U.S.-based epilepsy centers reported that a drug made from a medical marijuana derivative reduces seizures in epilepsy patients. The trial showed that patients taking Epidiolex were able to reduce seizures by 39 percent.
The study showed that cannabinoids, which are active receptors found within the cannabis plant and the human body, can produce compelling data to represent a new class of medications. Cannabinoids also produce pharmacologic effects in the immune and central nervous systems of the body.
Epidiolex can successfully treat children with Dravet syndrome by reducing their convulsive seizures. The reduced frequency of seizures was compared to a control group that only had a 13 percent reduction during a 14-week treatment period.
A similar 2014 study published in the Molecular Cancer Therapeutics journal reported that the two most common cannabinoids, THC and CBD, could treat cancer-related side effects. In addition, they can also inhibit the growth of cancer cells.
Benefits of cannabis include treating Glaucoma, preventing Alzheimer's, stopping the spread of cancer, decreasing anxiety, reducing pain and nausea in chemo patients, improving lung health and reversing the carcinogen effects of tobacco. Due to numerous legalization campaigns, interest in medical marijuana increased during the last decade, Natural News reported.
GW Pharmaceuticals, the company that manufactures Epidolex, reported that its shares soared to 130 percent after the 120-patient trial study came out. The British company stood out of its serious efforts to develop marijuana-derived medicine for serious diseases, according to Forbes.
According to GW Pharmaceuticals, they plan to use the data for the drug's approval with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Currently, the drug has been granted certain priority designations to accelerate its approval.
Epidiolex contains a substance called cannabidiol, which is derived from marijuana plants grown at a government-sanctioned farm in the south of England. When approved, the drug would be the first cannabidiol-containing medicine to receive a go-signal from the FDA.
