A clinical study of a marijuana derivative for treating epilepsy will soon get underway at the University of Iowa and other research sites. U-I Neurologist, Charuta Joshi, says the study will use an ingredient in cannabis oil called CDB that’s created by a British pharmaceutical company.
They want to see if it helps reduce seizures in some patients. “They have cloned their plants genetically. It is medication that you get. It is pure CBD that they are making. The study is going to be extremely rigorous.” Joshi says there is anecdotal evidence that cannabis oil has helped patients with untreatable seizure disorders.
She says this study will provide hard evidence of its effectiveness. “We will be recruiting parents not just from Iowa but across the state who want to participate in the study. I personally have about six or seven patients I have diagnosed in my time here. Not all of them will be part of the study. I know that,” Joshi says.
The Iowa legislature this year legalized possession of cannabis oil to treat children with a severe form of epilepsy.