GWPCARE4

From Wiki Journal Club
Jump to navigation Jump to search

Clinical Question

In patients ages 2 to 55 with Lennox-Gastaut syndrome (LGS), how does the efficacy and safety of cannibidiol compare to placebo as add-on therapy to existing anti-epileptics?

Bottom Line

Using cannibidiol as add-on therapy reduced the number of drop seizures, non-drop seizures, and total seizures in patients with LGS who are refractory to other anti-epileptics.

Major Points

Guidelines

Design

  • Multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial
  • N=171
    • Cannibidiol (n=86)
    • Placebo (n=85)
  • Setting: 31 sites in the US, Netherlands, and Poland
  • Enrollment: April 2015 to October 2015
  • Analysis: ITT
  • Primary outcome: percentage change in monthly frequency of drop seizures from baseline

Population

Inclusion Criteria

  • 2 to 55 years old with diagnosis of LGS
  • Evidence of more than one type of generalized seizure for at least 6 months
  • Refractory to at least 2 anti-epileptics
  • Patients taking 1 to 4 anti-epileptic drugs and had at least 2 drop seizures per week

Exclusion Criteria

  • Unstable illness other than epilepsy
  • History or alcohol or substance misuse
  • Recreational cannabis users
  • Positive THC screen

Baseline Characteristics

  • Mean age: 72 years
  • Mean BMI: 28
  • Mean HbA1c: 8.8%
  • Units of insulin: 14 units/day

Interventions

  • Randomized to intensive (targeting HbA1c <6%) or standard (HbA1c 7-7.9%) glycemic therapy

    • Then 46% were randomized to intensive (SBP <120) vs. standard (SBP <140) blood pressure therapy
    • Remaining 54% randomized to fenofibrate vs. placebo; all received statin
  • Intensive glycemic control group attended monthly visits for 4 months, then every 2 months, with additional visits and telephone calls as needed
  • Standard therapy group had glycemic control visits every 4 months

Outcomes

Comparisons are intensive therapy vs. standard therapy.

Primary Outcomes

Annual rate of nonfatal MI or nonfatal stroke or cardiovascular death
2.11% vs. 2.29% (HR 0.90; 95% CI 0.78-1.04; P=0.16)

Secondary Outcomes

Annual rate of death from any cause
1.41% vs. 1.14% (HR 1.22; 95% CI 1.01-1.46; P=0.04)
Annual rate of cardiovascular death
0.79% vs. 0.56% (HR 1.35; 95% CI 1.04-1.76; P=0.02)

Subgroup Analysis

Adverse Events

Criticisms

Funding

Further Reading