Cannabis medicine offers hope on epilepsy

A drug derived from cannabis offers new hope to people with untreatable forms of epilepsy, according to the results of a new study.

The cannabidiol compound reduced convulsive seizures by almost 40% in teenagers and children with Dravet syndrome — one of the most difficult types of epilepsy to treat. In 5% of cases, the debilitating fits afflicting some patients every day stopped altogether.

The drug’s manufacturer, GW Pharmaceuticals, based in Britain and the US, funded the trial, which was carried out by independent researchers.