GW Pharma gets FDA panel nod, first cannabis-based drug nearing approval

An advisory panel to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Thursday unanimously voted in favor of approving the first cannabis-derived medicine in the country, a childhood epilepsy treatment developed by GW Pharma.The drug, Epidiolex, is derived from cannabidiol (CBD), one of the hundreds of molecules found in the marijuana plant, and an FDA decision is expected by June 27.The FDA panel found that the drug's benefits outweighed the risks to treat patients aged 2 years and older with Dravet Sy