NHS England has announced that Epidyolex will now be available on prescription from January 6th.

Epidyolex is a CBD-based oral solution used to treat rare forms of treatment-resistant childhood epilepsy, Dravet syndrome and Lennox-Gastaut syndrome.

It was developed by UK company GW Pharmaceuticals, and made history when it became the first cannabis-based treatment approved by the FDA, under the name ‘Epidiolex’.

Philip Lee of Epilepsy Action welcomed the news, stating that it “brings much-needed hope and could be life-changing for some”.

In clinical trials, the treatment was found to reduce the number of seizures in children by up to 40%.

Since it was approved for use on the NHS in November, Epidyolex has now been fast-tracked for approval. While medical cannabis products have been legal in the UK since 2018, shockingly few treatments have actually been approved for use.

Epidyolex will be available for children from age 2, as well as adults. There are an estimated 3,000 people in England alone living with Dravet syndrome, and 5,000 living with Lennox Gastaut syndrome.

Source: TheExtract