The addition of cannabidiol (CBD) to a routine antiepileptic drug regimen is a favorable and effective treatment option for patients with treatment‐resistant epilepsies, according to results of an interim analysis of an expanded-access program (EAP) published in Epilepsia. In the safety assessment, 607 patients were enrolled. Countable seizure types were recorded in parents’ and caregivers’ clinical diaries during a 4-week baseline period. Investigators administered a 2 to 10 mg/kg/day dose of oral CBD titrated to a 25 to 50 mg/kg/day maximum dose.
In the cohort, the median dose of CBD received was 25 mg/kg/day, and the median duration of study treatment was 48 weeks. The study investigators observed a 51% reduction in median monthly convulsive seizures and a 48% reduction in total seizures at 12 weeks in patients receiving add-on CBD. At 12 weeks, the proportion of patients with convulsive seizure reductions of ≥50%, ≥75%, and 100% were 52%, 31%, and 11%, respectively.