Cannabidiol Add-On in Glycosylphosphatidylinositol-Related Drug-Resistant Epilepsy

Background: Glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored protein deficiencies (GPI-ADs) are commonly associated with drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE). Cannabidiol (CBD) is approved for the adjunctive treatment of seizures in Dravet/Lennox-Gastaut Syndromes and Tuberous Sclerosis Complex. We report on the efficacy and safety of CBD for the treatment of DRE in patients with genetically proven GPI-AD.

Patients and Methods: Patients received add-on treatment with purified GW-pharma CBD (Epidyolex^®). Efficacy endpoints were the percentage of patients with ≥50% (responders) or >25<50% (partial responders) reduction in monthly seizures from baseline and at 12 (M12) months of follow-up. Safety was evaluated through adverse events (AEs) monitoring.

Results: Six patients (5 males) were enrolled. The median age at seizures onset was 5 months and the syndromic diagnosis was early infantile developmental and epileptic encephalopathy in 4 patients and focal non-lesional epilepsy or GEFS+ in one patient each. Five out of six (83%) patients were responders at M12, while one was a partial responder. No severe AEs were reported. Mean prescribed CBD dose was 17.85 mg/kg/day and median treatment duration is currently 27 months.

Conclusions: In summary, off-label treatment with CBD was effective and safe in patients with DRE due to GPI-ADs.