UAB Researchers Determine that CBD Reduces Seizures

Researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham completed a study regarding CBD’s efficacy on epileptic seizures. The study was focused on the treatment-resistant or intractable forms of the condition. The study included 72 adolescent participants and 60 adult participants.

The study began in 2015 following the passage of Carly’s Law, AL.com reports.  Epidiolex was used in the study. Epidiolex is the recently FDA-approved CBD-derived drug for seizures. Trace amounts of THC were included in the product, but not enough to induce a high.

UAB said, “The results indicate use of CBD oil reduced adverse events and seizure severity, in addition to a reduction in overall seizure frequency.”

Professor of Neurology, leading the pediatric portion of the study, Dr. Martina Bebin said, “The results of this open-label safety study indicate significant improvements in seizure severity, adverse effects and seizure frequency at 12 weeks, with response maintained over the 48-week duration of therapy. The results are particularly interesting since, rather than enrolling patients with a specific diagnosis, we enrolled patients of all ages with various treatment-resistant epilepsies, indicating that CBD oil may be effective across the spectrum of epileptic conditions.”

Dr. Jerry Szaflarski, leading the adult portion of the study, said, “An improvement of 10 points or more on the (Chalfont Seizure Severity Scale) is clinically significant. We saw improvements between baseline and 12-week visits in the 30- to 40-point range for each group, as much as a 50 to 60 percent improvement, indicating results that are not only statistically significant, but also highly clinically significant for the group as a whole.”