CBD Reduced Seizures by Half or More in Over 50% of Children With Drug-Resistant Epilepsy

In 551 children with drug-resistant developmental and epileptic encephalopathies treated with purified CBD at 10 centers, 50.6% achieved at least 50% seizure reduction after 12-32 months, including 14.2% who became seizure-free. Long-term follow-up of a subset (280 patients, 24-32 months) showed sustained efficacy with 51.4% maintaining at least 50% reduction and 10.2% remaining seizure-free. The treatment was safe and well-tolerated.

Descriptive real-world multicenter study of children aged 0.5-16 years with ILAE-defined drug-resistant developmental and epileptic encephalopathies treated with purified CBD at 10 centers (March 2021-December 2024). Etiologies: structural (45%), genetic (28.8%), immune (0.9%), infectious (0.5%), unknown (24.3%). Median follow-up: 22 months.

This is one of the largest real-world CBD epilepsy studies to date. The finding that purified CBD helps approximately half of children with the most treatment-resistant forms of epilepsy, including rare genetic conditions, confirms and extends findings from earlier clinical trials into everyday clinical practice.

Purified CBD (Epidiolex) was initially approved for specific epilepsy syndromes, but this real-world study shows effectiveness across diverse etiologies. The sustained response at 2+ years and the tolerability profile support CBD as a long-term treatment option for the most challenging pediatric epilepsy cases.

Observational design without placebo control. Concomitant antiepileptic medications make isolating CBD effects difficult. Selection bias: centers may preferentially treat and report patients they expect to respond. Loss to follow-up could bias long-term results.