The FDA is considering the country’s first prescription drug made from marijuana, which could revolutionize epilepsy treatment
THE U.S. FOOD AND DRUG Administration might approve a prescription medication made from marijuana this summer, a huge step forward for people with epilepsy, which the drug treats. It would also signal a new—some would say long-delayed—embrace of cannabis based medications.
GW Pharmaceuticals, the company behind the drug, called Epidiolex, started the approval process with the FDA last year. A study it funded, published in The Lancet in January, offered encouraging signs. One hundred and seventy people with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome (a rare, severe and difficult to treat form of epilepsy) were given either a placebo or an anti-seizure medication with cannabidiol, or CBD. The result: The CBD medication cut the number of seizures per month by 41 percent. Adding a placebo reduced it by roughly 14 percent. “It’s exciting that it shows efficacy,” says one of the researchers, Dr. Elizabeth Thiele, director of Massachusetts General Hospital’s pediatric epilepsy program (who worked with GW Pharmaceuticals for four years).
Esta historia es de la edición June 29 - July 06, 2018 Double issue de Newsweek.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 8500 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición June 29 - July 06, 2018 Double issue de Newsweek.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 8500 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
'We Are Facing the Most Complex Security Environment Since - World War II'
Japan's prime minister on security, diplomacy and protecting the rule of law at home, in Asia and around the world
Wildlife Crossings Are a Bear Necessity
Safe passages for animals under or over highways are reducing road collisions and could help them to adapt to climate change by seeking out new habitats
'I Don't Live My Life With the Cameras On'
Canada's first lady Sophie Grégoire Trudeau talks working through trauma, relationships in the public eye and her new book exploring mental health
AMERICA'S Maternity HOSPITALS 2024
THE ARRIVAL OF A HEALTHY BABY BRINGS UNPARALLELED joy. It's no wonder that families welcoming their newest members are looking for high-quality health care to ensure a smooth delivery and reliable postpartum care.
Trouble in Paradise
China's massive investment in Antigua potentially represents the greatest external challenge along America's 'third border' since the Cuban missile crisis
Five Ways to Keep Your Dog Healthy
We want our beloved dogs to live a long life, but also a healthy one not least to keep the bills down.
We're Struggling to Afford Our Furry Friends
The cost of caring for our four-legged companions has risen for nearly threequarters of Americans, leaving many owners concerned about financially supporting them
A Life of Crime: America's Migrant-Smuggling Teens
Money-motivated children as young as 14 are being targeted by cartels on social media to traffic people illegally into the US and it's just the start of their criminal journey
'I am always in the moment'
India's prime minister on his goals, his critics and his 'god-gifted' ability to listen
An Ecstatic Anniversary
Sarah McLachlan is touring this summer, 30 years after the release of ‘Fumbling Towards Ecstasy,' the album that made her a star