Breakthroughs in UK Medicinal Cannabis and Migraine Treatments

Medicare continues to evolve around the world, with medical professionals, institutions, and researchers always exploring new ways to alleviate the symptoms and illnesses of their patients. In the UK, the NHS has recently approved a couple of new treatments for cannabis-based medications, with the European Medicines Agency approving a new form of migraine treatment.

Both breakthroughs take a strong step in a new direction for the ailments that they treat, with cannabis forever being a hot topic in all circles and the migraine treatment coming in the form of a self-administered jab.

Cannabis-based treatments coming to the UK

Source: Pixabay

Working off of the approval and guidelines established by the drugs advisory body NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence), two new cannabis-based medicines have been approved by the NHS, per BBC. While the approval is for England-based centers, those in Northern Ireland and Wales are expected to follow suit, as are those in Scotland down the line. The two approved medicines are Epidyolex and Sativex.

One of the primary ingredients of both Epidyolex and Savitex is cannabidiol, otherwise known as CBD. Some cite certain forms of CBD as helping with diseases, whereas others dismiss the cannabis product as a whole. This is why sites like Green Valley Nation have established review websites for the product. The idea is to present the latest news and guidelines on who you consumers can trust so they can make informed decisions. Consumers can also find out about tested products from health.com and other organisations.

When it comes to the two new medications approved by the NHS, not only do they both contain CBD as a primary ingredient, but clinical trials have also proven its benefits. In Epidyolex trials, the oral solution was found to reduce the number of seizures in children with Dravet syndrome or Lennox Gastaut syndrome by up to 40 percent. The mouth spray medication Sativex, which also contains THC, has been approved as a treatment method for spasticity in people with multiple sclerosis.

Some, however, are saying that this level of implementation of cannabis-based products isn’t enough. One very vocal advocate of certain cannabis-based medicinal products is actor Sir Patrick Stewart, who accredits his ability to flex his hands despite his arthritis to a cream which contains cannabinoids, as relayed in an interview with The Telegraph.

Migraine prevention becoming available in a shot

For many people, recurrent migraines are a huge health problem, especially as treatment is relatively inconvenient to attain, given the erratic nature of migraine spells. Now, the European Medicines Agency has approved Aimovig, which is the first novel migraine treatment to become available in over two decades, according to Pharmaphorum.

What’s so appealing about Aimovig to migraine suffers is the fact that it takes the form of a self-administered shot: the first of its kind. It will be available privately to adult patients who suffer from multiple – at least four – migraines per month, coming as a monthly prevention jab. Clinical trials found that Aimovig was able to reduce the number of migraines suffered per month even among a population of hard-to-treat patients.

It will be intriguing to see if more cannabidiol products begin to be accepted more in the UK if Epidyolex and Savtiex prove to be successful, with the same going for Aimovig as a means of self-administered medical treatment.