11 Nov 2019 --- The UK’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has recommended that some cannabis-based medicinal products (CBMP) receive routine reimbursement from NHS England. These include GW Pharmaceuticals’ Epidyolex, containing cannabidiol (CBD), and Sativex, made of nabiximols, a mix of CBD and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). CBD is recommended for seizures associated with Lennox Gastaut syndrome (LGS) or Dravet syndrome, while nabiximols were deemed a cost-effective treatment of spasticity due to multiple sclerosis. This is the first time that any plant-derived cannabis-based medicine has been recommended by NICE for use on the NHS, and could mark a turning tide in attitudes toward the plant.
