UK Parents Want National Health Service To Allow Cannabis For Children With Epilepsy

Six years after the United Kingdom legalized medical marijuana, families struggling to obtain life-saving medicine through the National Health Service (NHS) returned to Westminster on Tuesday, demanding change. They displayed photos of their loved ones who experienced significant improvement with medical marijuana, reports the Business of Cannabis.

NHS Is Failing Patients

Parents of children suffering from treatment-resistant epilepsy say their children have achieved seizure freedom with medical marijuana, thanks to cannabis' effectiveness compared as to conventional treatments.

Those gathered at Westminster criticizes the lack of NHS prescriptions, especially for children with epilepsy. Only about 50 children have access to private prescriptions due to the limited availability of pediatric neurologists willing to prescribe. Campaigners argued that the NHS is failing patients and called for a change.

"When prescription cannabis was legalized six years ago, this was not the situation that patients were promised or expected," said co-chairs of the Cannabis Industry Council, Dr Callie Seaman and Jamie Bartley. "It's time for the NHS to take action to expand public funding of cannabis medicines. A clear pathway should be established for patients to access prescriptions via the NHS, while private prescriptions could also be reimbursed by the public purse."

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: "Licensed cannabis-based medicines are routinely funded by the NHS where there is clear evidence of their quality, safety, and effectiveness. The NHS is taking an evidence-based approach to unlicensed cannabis-based treatments to ensure they are proved safe and effective before they can be considered for roll out more widely."

The need for cannabis as medicine in the U.K. was first highlighted by two cases involving children with severe epilepsy: Billy Caldwell and Alfie Dingley who were both using cannabis low-dose THC oil to treat their seizures.

While it is possible to access medical marijuana through the NHS, this rarely occurs and only in severe cases of epilepsy, chemotherapy-induced nausea or certain cases of muscle stiffness associated with MS. Since medical marijuana is not widely available through the NHS, many families struggle to afford life-saving medicine for their children.

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Per a report, new figures show the lack of prescribing of both unlicensed and licensed medical marijuana medicines, such as Epidiolex and Sativex in the NHS. According to the NHS Business Service Authority, ‘fewer than five' patients have an NHS prescription for unlicensed cannabis medicines, while the private sectors booms with more than 35,000 medical cannabis patients.

Epidiolex is the only FDA-approved prescription CBD treatment for severe forms of epilepsy. It was developed and produced by GW Pharmaceuticals, which was acquired by Jazz Pharmaceuticals JAZZ in 2021. Epidiolex was first approved for treating seizures connected to Lennox-Gastaut syndrome and Dravet syndrome. In 2022, Epidiolex was approved for treating seizures related to tuberous sclerosis complex.

A Freedom of Information request reveals that no NHS trusts have prescribed cannabis flower, and only 27% prescribe licensed medical marijuana medicines, such as Epidiolex.

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