VIDEO: Cannabidiol linked to improved seizure and nonseizure outcomes in epilepsy
LOS ANGELES — Treatment with cannabidiol led to improved seizure and nonseizure outcomes in patients with various forms of epilepsy, data show.
The BECOME-TSC study evaluated outcomes of Epidiolex (Jazz Pharmaceuticals) in patients with tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC), with results reported via surveys completed by both patients and health care professionals and presented at the American Epilepsy Society annual meeting.
In patients who started Epidiolex, caregivers reported improvements in cognition, emotional functioning and communication of their charges, with 89% of caregiver respondents planning to continue cannabidiol treatment. Complete seizure freedom in patients within a month of treatment was reported by 39% of caregiver respondents, as well as significant improvement in seizure frequency and severity.
Likewise, nurses in long-term care facilities reported an 85% reduction in seizure frequency among residents with TSC, Dravet syndrome, Lennox Gastaut syndrome or other refractory conditions, as well as improved nonseizure outcomes between 38% and 75%.
“We continue to engage with health care providers and the patient advocacy community to better understand unmet needs for patients living with epilepsy,” Sarah Akerman, MD, head of neuroscience and global scientific affairs at Jazz Pharmaceuticals, told Healio.