doi: 10.1016/j.yebeh.2023.109248.
- PMID: 37210793
- DOI: 10.1016/j.yebeh.2023.109248
Free article
Abstract
People with epilepsy may experience episodes of frequent seizure activity (seizure clusters, acute repetitive seizures), and benzodiazepines are the cornerstone of rescue treatment. Cannabidiol (CBD) can be used as an adjunctive treatment for epilepsy, and it may interact with other antiseizure drugs, such as benzodiazepines. Here, we examined the safety and effectiveness of intermittent use of diazepam nasal spray in patients with seizure clusters who also received CBD treatment. This analysis included data from patients aged 6 to 65 years enrolled in a phase 3, long-term safety study of diazepam nasal spray. Age- and weight-based dosing of diazepam nasal spray were administered during a 12-month treatment period. Concomitant CBD use was recorded, and treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) were collected. Of 163 treated patients, 119 (73.0%) did not receive CBD, 23 (14.1%) received the US Food and Drug Administration-approved highly purified CBD and 21 (12.9%) received another form of CBD. On average, patients receiving highly purified CBD were younger and more likely to have epileptic encephalopathies, including Dravet syndrome or Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, than patients who received another CBD preparation or no CBD. Rates of TEAEs and serious TEAEs were greater in patients who received any form of CBD (90.9% and 45.5%, respectively) compared with no CBD (79.0% and 26.1%, respectively). However, the lowest rates of TEAEs attributed to diazepam nasal spray were reported in patients who received highly purified CBD (13.0%), and this result was maintained in those who received concomitant clobazam. Use of second doses of diazepam nasal spray, a proxy for effectiveness, was lowest in the highly purified-CBD group (8.2%) compared with the no-CBD (11.6%) and other-CBD groups (20.3%). These results suggest that CBD does not alter the safety and effectiveness of diazepam nasal spray and supports concomitant use in appropriate patients.
Keywords: Acute repetitive seizure, Dravet syndrome, Encephalopathy, Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, Rescue, Rett syndrome
Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Conflict of interest statement
Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: Dr. Peters has served as a speaker and consultant for Greenwich Biosciences; Neurelis, Inc.; and Novartis. Dr. Puri is a speaker for Neurelis, Inc., and Eisai and is a consultant for Neurelis, Inc. Dr. Segal has received personal compensation for consulting, serving on a scientific advisory board, speaking, or other activities with Eisai, Lundbeck, Nutricia, Novartis, Greenwich, Epitel, Encoded Therapeutics, and Q BioMed and is an advisor for Neurelis, Inc. Drs. Misra and Rabinowicz are employees of and have received stock options from Neurelis, Inc. Dr.Carrazana is an employee of and has received stock and stock options from Neurelis, Inc.
