A Tiny Biotech Just Dealt a Big Blow to Marijuana's Use in Epilepsy

On Friday, clinical-stage drug developer Zogenix (NASDAQ: ZGNX) reported results from the first of two trials evaluating the use of low-dose fenfluramine (ZX008) in patients with a rare form of epilepsy called Dravet syndrome. The results demonstrated that this drug -- once the "fen" part of the failed obesity drug fen-phen -- may control seizures in patients better than GW Pharmaceuticals's (NASDAQ: GWPH) Epidiolex, a highly anticipated marijuana-based drug.

Dravet syndrome is a rare and difficult type of epilepsy. Typically, it's diagnosed during a child's first year of life, and usually, Dravet syndrome patients lag peers in language and motor skills development. Sadly, it's resistant to commonly used anti-seizure medications, which makes the need for new treatment options important.

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Source: Fool.com