The US Food and Drug Administration has approved Epidiolex, a treatment for severe forms of epilepsy that is based on cannabidiol, a purified drug substance derived from marijuana. Epidiolex was developed by GW Pharmaceuticals Plc.
It has been approved to treat Lennox-Gastaut syndrome and Dravet syndrome in patients two years of age and older.
The drug is the first approved treatment containing cannabidiol, a chemical component of the Cannabis sativa plant. It is also the first drug approved for patients with Dravet syndrome.