UAB Study Finds CBD Oil Helps Epilepsy Patients
Researchers at UAB published a study this month that offers hope to those dealing with severe epilepsy. It found cannabidiol, or CBD oil, helps curb seizures. The substance is derived from marijuana, minus the hallucinogenic properties. The study was conducted under a 2014 Alabama law known as “Carly’s Law,” which authorized UAB to research CBD oil.
The study found CBD oil reduced the frequency of seizures by about two-thirds. It also reduced the severity of seizures. Study participants had fewer side effects when looking at their medications overall.
“We don’t know whether this is an effect of cannabidiol or whether this is the effect of slightly decreasing other medications or if there is something else, but it’s a very significant finding,” said Dr. Jerzy Szaflarski, director of UAB’s Epilepsy Center.
Advocates, particularly parents of children with severe epilepsy, have contended CBD oil helps with seizures. Szaflarski says a growing body of research like the UAB study backs that up.
The drug used in the study is called Epidiolex and in July the Food and Drug Administration approved it for two rare types of epilepsy. It’s the first CBD-based drug approved by federal regulators. Robert Speth, pharmaceutical sciences professor at Nova Southeastern University in Florida, says that represents a slight softening in attitude by the feds toward marijuana, although there are still tight restrictions on medical research of marijuana.
“You have to keep it in a locked safe. You have to have two layers of security,” Speth says. “It makes it very cumbersome.”
Epidiolex could hit the market next year and with a big price tag – $32,500 a year. Patients won’t necessarily pay that amount as insurers could shoulder some of that cost. A spokeswoman for Alabama’s largest insurer, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama, says they’ll review the drug’s effectiveness and safety before deciding whether to cover it.
The DOJ charged a former Indian intelligence official in a foiled assassination plot
The indictment against Vikash Yadav points to a direct link between the Indian government and what prosecutors say was a murder-for-hire scheme on American soil.
Phoenix police allegedly beat, repeatedly tased deaf Black man who has cerebral palsy
The August incident is under investigation by the police department's internal affairs division and is being reviewed by the Maricopa County Attorney's Office.
Prada and Axiom Space reveal modernized NASA spacesuits for the 2026 moon landing
The suits will be used for NASA’s Artemis III mission, marking humankind’s first return to the moon since 1972. It will see the first woman and the first person of color walk on the moon.
Fentanyl deaths in the U.S. have dropped faster than expected, CDC says
If the downward trend holds, this year is expected to be the first since 2020 to see overdose deaths fall below the 100,000 mark. However, Black and Native American communities remain vulnerable.
Judge unseals Ruben Gallego divorce filing that has hovered over Arizona senate race
An Arizona judge unsealed Gallego divorce filings Wednesday, rejecting efforts to keep the records hidden. Yet the filings did not offer the October surprise the Democratic Senate candidate's rival, Kari Lake, was hoping it would.
A father and son are indicted on murder charges in Georgia high school shooting
The grand jury indicted 14-year-old Colt Gray on 55 counts, including murder, aggravated assault and cruelty to children. His father, Colin Gray, faces 29 counts including second-degree murder.
