Federally approved cannabis drug offers hope for patients and marijuana advocates

[Elderberry]

Houston Chronicle by  Ileana Najarro Dec. 26, 2018

The cannabis drug arrived at the Lindeen household in a UPS shipping box marked “critical.”

Piper and Brian Lindeen had been monitoring news of Epidiolex for months. The drug meant another chance at treating their 10-year-old son Zach’s ongoing seizures, and a possibility for broader medical cannabis access in Texas.

The cannabidiol, or CBD, made by the British company GW Pharmaceuticals, aims to treat epileptic seizures of patients with Dravet syndrome and Lennox-Gastaut syndrome.

Successful clinical trials, including some with Texas patients, helped Epidiolex become the first CBD medication to gain approval earlier this year from both the Food and Drug Administration as well as the Drug Enforcement Administration. Prescriptions for the drug became available in the United States last month.

Currently the only two legal options to get medical cannabis in Texas are through the limited state registry, known as the Compassionate Use Program, and from prescription Epidiolex.

Marijuana advocates, including the Lindeens in Sugar Land, hope Epidiolex’s federal approval could sway any state legislators wary of expanding legal access to medical cannabis. Several marijuana-related bills were filed for the next legislative session.

State Sen. Jose Menendez, D-San Antonio, authored Senate Bill 90 for expanding the state medical cannabis program, which formally kicked off this year.

He believes the research that went into the development of Epidiolex, and which helped the drug gain federal approval, could be key to pushing his bill and similar ones next year.

“I’m going to use any and every tool possible,” Menendez said.

Yet advocates are also concerned that so much pressure on Epidiolex may backfire if the drug ultimately fails to generate enough positive results.

As the Lindeens have learned through years of treating Zach, what may work for one patient doesn’t work for all.

More: https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Federally-approved-cannabis-drug-offers-hope-for-13491770.php