FDA advisory panel recommends approval of the first cannabis-derived drug

In Washington, D.C., the U.S. Food & Drug Administration’s Peripheral and Central Nervous System Drug Advisory Committee concluded with a unanimous vote to recommend the approval of Epidiolex, the first drug derived from the cannabis plant in the United States.

“We are pleased by the advisory committee’s recommendation to approve the first drug ever for the treatment of Dravet syndrome,” said Philip Gattone, President and CEO, Epilepsy Foundation. “Despite significant therapeutic advances in the last few years, many individuals living with epilepsy do not achieve seizure control. Epidiolex represents hope for the many individuals living with intractable seizures and rare epilepsies, who every day face incredible challenges and disabling seizures, and live with the continual risk of serious injury and death.”

The Epilepsy Foundation is the leading national voluntary health organization that speaks on behalf of the at least 3.4 million Americans with epilepsy, a medical condition that produces seizures.