GW Pharmaceuticals plc (GWPH) Announce That EPIDIOLEX® (cannabidiol) Oral Solution Has Been Descheduled

“This notification from DEA fully establishes that EPIDIOLEX, the only CBD medicine approved by FDA, is no longer a controlled substance under the federal Controlled Substances Act,” said Justin Gover, GW’s Chief Executive Officer.  “We would like to thank DEA for confirming the non-controlled status of this medicine. Importantly, the descheduling of EPIDIOLEX has the potential to further ease patient access to this important therapy for patients living with Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome and Dravet syndrome, two of the most debilitating forms of epilepsy.”

EPIDIOLEX, which was launched in the United States on November 1, 2018 after approval by  FDA for the treatment of seizures associated with Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome (LGS) or Dravet syndrome in patients two years of age or older, is the first prescription pharmaceutical formulation of highly purified, plant-derived cannabidiol (CBD), and the first in a new category of anti-epileptic drugs.

Following FDA approval, EPIDIOLEX was initially placed in Schedule V of the CSA. Following receipt of this DEA notification, GW has filed a post-approval supplement with FDA to remove Schedule V designation from EPIDIOLEX.

DEA’s letter means that all federal controlled-substance restrictions have been removed for EPIDIOLEX. The Company will now begin the process of implementing these changes at the state level and through the EPIDIOLEX distribution network.  Once this process is completed in each state, prescriptions for EPIDIOLEX, like other non-controlled medicines, will be valid for one year and can be easily transferred between pharmacies. The descheduling of EPIDIOLEX also enables physicians to prescribe this breakthrough medicine free of the requirements of state prescription drug monitoring programs.

The most common adverse reactions that occurred in EPIDIOLEX-treated patients were somnolence, decreased appetite, diarrhea, transaminase elevations, fatigue, malaise, and asthenia, rash, insomnia, sleep disorder and poor-quality sleep, and infections. The medicine is marketed in the United States by Greenwich Biosciences, the U.S. subsidiary of GW Pharmaceuticals plc. More information, including the product label, can be found at Epidiolex.com.

About GW Pharmaceuticals plc and Greenwich Biosciences, Inc.

Founded in 1998, GW is a biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering, developing and commercializing novel therapeutics from its proprietary cannabinoid product platform in a broad range of disease areas. The Company’s lead product, EPIDIOLEX^® (cannabidiol) oral solution, is commercialized in the U.S. by its U.S. subsidiary Greenwich Biosciences for the treatment of seizures associated with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome (LGS) or Dravet syndrome in patients two years of age or older. This product has received approval in the European Union under the tradename EPIDYOLEX^®. The Company has submitted a supplemental New Drug Application (sNDA) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to expand the indication for Epidiolex to include seizures associated with Tuberous Sclerosis Complex (TSC), for which it has reported positive Phase 3 data, and is carrying out a Phase 3 trial in Rett syndrome. The Company has a deep pipeline of additional cannabinoid product candidates, in particular nabiximols, for which the Company is advancing multiple late-stage clinical programs in order to seek FDA approval in the treatment of spasticity associated with multiple sclerosis and spinal cord injury, as well as for the treatment of PTSD. The Company has additional cannabinoid product candidates in Phase 2 trials for autism and schizophrenia. For further information, please visit www.gwpharm.com.