Australia: Children with epilepsy to take part in medical marijuana trial

Victoria is to become the first state in Australia to legalise cannabis for medical use.

Dozens of Victorian children with severe epilepsy will soon be able to test a cannabis-based drug in the hope it will treat their seizures.

The Austin Hospital in Melbourne is recruiting 60 children with intractable epilepsy to participate in a trial of cannabidiol (CBD) produced by an American pharmaceutical company called Insys Therapeutics Inc.

The drug is made from a synthetic version of CBD, a therapeutic compound found in the cannabis plant. The drug does not include tetrahydrocannabinol or THC - the psycho-active component of cannabis that gets people "stoned".  

Nicholas Johnson, 14, has severe epilepsy. Photo: Tessa Young

The trial will test appropriate doses for 10 patients this year before researchers recruit 60 people aged one to 17 for ongoing treatment with either the drug or a placebo. The study will only be open to children with severe epilepsy who have tested at least three drugs that have failed. ...

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