CBD (Epidiolex) represents the first new class of antiepileptic drugs and has demonstrated efficacy as adjunctive treatment for seizures in Lennox-Gastaut and Dravet syndromes.
Neurologists, epileptologists, parents of children with severe epilepsy, and medical cannabis researchers.
First new antiepileptic class
What the researchers found
The review critically examined CBD's pharmacology and recent clinical trial data showing its efficacy and safety as add-on treatment for LGS and DS, two severe childhood epilepsy syndromes where existing treatments fail to control seizures in most cases.
Why it matters
Up to one-third of epilepsy patients are treatment-resistant. LGS and DS are among the most severe forms, and CBD represents the first genuinely new mechanism of action for these patients in years.
The numbers in context
Epilepsy affects approximately 70 million people worldwide. Up to one-third are resistant to existing anticonvulsant therapy.
How the study worked
Critical review of CBD pharmacology and the most recent clinical studies evaluating efficacy and safety as adjunctive treatment for LGS and DS seizures.
What this study cannot tell us
Review summarizes existing clinical trial data rather than presenting new findings. Long-term outcomes and optimal dosing strategies are still being established.
How to read the evidence
Strong: review based on multiple randomized controlled trials of pharmaceutical-grade CBD.
When this study was published
Published in 2019.
The bigger picture
CBD's approval for epilepsy marked a turning point for cannabinoid medicine, moving from anecdotal reports and unregulated products to FDA-approved pharmaceutical-grade treatment with rigorous clinical trial support.
Questions still open
- Could CBD be effective for other treatment-resistant epilepsy syndromes beyond LGS and DS? What is the optimal long-term dosing strategy?
Common questions
What are Lennox-Gastaut and Dravet syndromes?
Is CBD the same as medical marijuana for epilepsy?
Read the original research
Cannabidiol as adjunctive treatment of seizures associated with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome and Dravet syndrome.
Drugs of today (Barcelona, Spain : 1998), 55(3), 177-196
Citation
Lattanzi, S; Trinka, E; Russo, E; Striano, P; Citraro, R; Silvestrini, M; Brigo, F. (2019). Cannabidiol as adjunctive treatment of seizures associated with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome and Dravet syndrome.. Drugs of today (Barcelona, Spain : 1998), 55(3), 177-196. https://doi.org/10.1358/dot.2019.55.3.2909248
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