Skip to main content
MJH Life Sciences
  • Login
  • Register
  • Login
  • Register
Home
  • Topics
  • Slideshows
  • Videos
  • Quizzes
  • Blogs
  • Conferences
  • Classifieds
  • All Content
  • Contribute
MJH Life Sciences

SUBSCRIBE: eNewsletter

Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome: Cannabidiol Treatment

  • Samantha J. Peterson
April 23, 2017
  • AAN 2017, Epilepsy and Seizure, Rare Diseases

Patients with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome (LGS) experienced significantly fewer drop seizures with add-on cannabidiol.

A total of 255 participants were randomized 1:1:1 to receive daily cannabidol 20mg/kg (n=76), 10mg/kg (n=73), or placebo (n=76). Eligible participants had a clinical diagnosis of LGS, eight or more drop seizures during a 4-week baseline, and failure of one or more antiepileptic drug. They ranged in age from 2 to 55 years, with a mean age of 16 years (30% were aged 18 or over), and had a median of 85 drop seizures monthly. Participants had failed a median of six and were taking a median of three antiepileptic drugs.

Compared to placebo (17%), participants on cannabidiol experienced a significantly greater reduction in drop seizure frequency: 42% in those taking 20mg/kg (P=0.0047) and 37% in those taking 10kg/mg (P=0.0016).

During the 14-week study period (2-week titration, 12-week dose maintenance), 9 cannabidiol 20mg/kg, 2 cannabidiol 10mg/kg, and 2 placebo participants withdrew early. Mild or moderate adverse events occurred in 94% of the 20mg/kg group, 84% of the 10mg/kg group, and 72% in the placebo group and were mostly somnolence and decreased appetite. Serious treatment-related events occurred in 5 of the 20mg/kg group, 2 of the 10mg/kg group, and in none of the placebo patients. Some elevations in transaminases were seen, but there were no deaths.

Of the 212 participants who completed the study, 99% entered the open-label extension study. According to the press release, participants taking cannabidiol were up to 2.6 times more likely to say their overall condition had improved compared to the placebo group.

“Our results suggest that cannabidiol may be effective for those with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome in treating drop seizures,” said study author Anup Patel, MD (Nationwide Children’s Hospital and The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, OH). “This is important because this kind of epilepsy is incredibly difficult to treat. While there were more side effects for those taking cannabidiol, they were mostly well-tolerated. I believe that it may become an important new treatment option for these patients.”

This research will be presented during the Clinical Trials plenary session on Tuesday, April 25, 2017.

Patel A, et al. Cannabidiol (CBD) significantly reduces drop seizure frequency in Lennox-Gastaut syndrome (LGS): results of a dose-ranging, multi-center, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial (GWPCARE3). From materials presented at AAN Annual Meeting, Boston, MA. Clinical Trials plenary session. April 25, 2017.

Related Articles

Resource Topics rightRail

  • Resource Topics
  • Partner Content
  • Headache and Migraine
  • Epilepsy
  • TBI
  • Epilepsy and Seizure
  • Alzheimer disease
There is currently no available content. Please check back soon.
Connect with Us
  • Column 1
    • Home
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
  • Column 2
    • Editorial Info
    • Editorial Board
  • Column 3
    • Advertising Info
    • Reprints
    • Advertising Terms
  • Column 4
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy
Modern Medicine Network
© UBM 2019, All rights reserved.
Reproduction in whole or in part is prohibited.

We've noticed that you're using an ad blocker

Our content is brought to you free of charge because of the support of our advertisers. To continue enjoying our content, please turn off your ad blocker.

It's off now Dismiss How do I disable my ad blocker?
❌

How to disable your ad blocker for our site:

Adblock / Adblock Plus
  • Click on the AdBlock / AdBlock Plus icon on the top right of your browser.
  • Click “Don’t run on pages on this domain.” OR “Enabled on this site.”
  • Close this help box and click "It's off now".
Firefox Tracking Prevention
  • If you are Private Browsing in Firefox, "Tracking Protection" may casue the adblock notice to show. It can be temporarily disabled by clicking the "shield" icon in the address bar.
  • Close this help box and click "It's off now".
Ghostery
  • Click the Ghostery icon on your browser.
  • In Ghostery versions < 6.0 click “Whitelist site.” in version 6.0 click “Trust site.”
  • Close this help box and click "It's off now".
uBlock / uBlock Origin
  • Click the uBlock / uBlock Origin icon on your browser.
  • Click the “power” button in the menu that appears to whitelist the current website
  • Close this help box and click "It's off now".