GW Pharmaceuticals' experimental epilepsy drug, derived from marijuana, may be the first drug of its kind to earn regulatory approval, reports Business Insider.
The drug's active ingredient, cannabidiol, is a compound in marijuana believed to hold many therapeutic benefits. The substance lacks THC — the main psychoactive ingredient in cannabis that gets users high, according to the report.
Recent clinical trials found cannabidiol successfully reduced seizures in the two most diffcult forms of epilepsy to treat — Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome and Dravet Syndrome.
GW Pharma plans to submit the drug — in syrup form — to the Food and Drug Administration by the middle of 2017. If approved, the drug would be the first cannabidiol-based drug OK'ed by the agency.
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