With about 50 million people affected worldwide, drug-resistant epilepsy, or refractory epilepsy, is a very serious condition for which a medical solution has not yet been found, but the therapeutic benefits of phytocannabinoid-based therapies for seizures have been coming under increased scrutiny lately. There is mounting evidence that cannabinoid extracts, and in particular cannabidiol (CBD), can have a positive impact on epilepsy patients and alleviate seizures, as indicated by recent research. Companies such as India Globalization Capital, Inc. (NYSE MKT: IGC) are at the forefront of discovering cannabinoid-based epilepsy treatments for humans and animals alike, by developing innovative formulations that can change the paradigm of seizure therapies.
Although stories of cannabis benefits for seizure patients have been around for more than a century, the interest in marijuana has increased significantly in the last few years due to the growing legalization movement. At the moment, marijuana is legal for medical or recreational consumption in almost 30 states, and supporters of legalization hope the substance will eventually be allowed nationwide. There is also hope that widespread legalization will eventually force the federal government to declassify marijuana as a Schedule I drug, a classification that currently stands in the way of the cannabis industry’s potential development mostly by limiting businesses’ access to banking and financial solutions.
Most research into the effects of cannabis on epilepsy has focused on CBD, the most abundant non-psychoactive cannabinoid in the marijuana plant. According to the American Epilepsy Society (http://dtn.fm/6bMxP), recent studies have indicated that CBD was successfully used to reduce the intensity and frequency of seizures in children with refractory epilepsy. Multiple other studies have indicated similar results, in particular a dramatic drop in the number of seizures reported by patients who were given CBD-based treatments, according to the Epilepsy Foundation (http://dtn.fm/cxG3P). The same effects were reported for CBD use to treat veterinary epilepsy in multiple species, most notably in cats and dogs. The second most abundant cannabinoid extract, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), was also found to have a positive impact on epilepsy patients, but it is not as easily tolerated due to its psychotropic properties.
Maryland-based IGC is developing innovative CBD-based therapies targeting both human and veterinary epilepsy, as well as other types of seizures. The company has already filed for a U.S. patent for the formulation, administered via different delivery technologies, and has plans to start metabolic profiling and apply to the Food and Drug Administration to start clinical trials. One of its product candidates targeting seizures in animals, IGC-502, is scheduled to begin clinical trials this year.
In addition to seizures, IGC has developed a pipeline of cannabinoid-based therapies targeting various major disorders, including eating disorders and neuropathic pain. The company is becoming a leader in the use of combination therapies that pair cannabis extracts with other traditional medications for the treatment of different conditions, positioning itself as a unique and interesting investment option on the ever-growing medical marijuana market.
For more information, visit the company’s website at www.IGCinc.us
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