# UK Medical Cannabis Registry: A Clinical Outcomes Analysis for Epilepsy

## TL;DR

This study examines the effects of cannabis-based medicines on epilepsy patients in the UK, finding improved quality of life and few side effects, but more research is needed.

## Contribution

The study provides real-world clinical outcomes data on cannabis-based medicinal products for treatment-resistant epilepsy using a UK registry.

## Key findings

- Improvements in quality of life and health-related quality of life measures were observed over six months.
- Few adverse events were reported, mostly mild or moderate.
- Findings suggest CBMPs are well tolerated but randomized trials are needed to confirm efficacy.

## Abstract

A third of epilepsy patients fail to enter seizure remission despite optimal therapeutic management. Cannabis‐based medicinal products (CBMPs) have shown promise as a potential therapy. However, a paucity of high‐quality literature regarding CBMPs’ efficacy and safety profile means further investigation is needed. The study aimed to examine changes in epilepsy‐specific and general health‐related quality of life (HRQoL) patient‐reported outcome measures (PROMs) in individuals with treatment‐resistant epilepsy.

A case series of patients with epilepsy from the UK Medical Cannabis Registry analyzed changes in Quality of Life in Epilpesy‐31 (QOILE‐31), Single‐Item Sleep Quality Score (SQS), EQ‐5D‐5L, Generalized Anxiety Disorder‐7 (GAD‐7) and Patient Global Impression of Change (PGIC) between baseline, one, three, and six months. Adverse events (AEs) were collected and classified by severity. p < 0.050 was considered statistically significant.

There were 134 patients included. Improvements were recorded from baseline to one, three, and six months in QOILE‐31 and all HRQoL PROMs (p < 0.050). Forty patients (29.85%) reported a minimal clinically important difference in Quality of Life in Epilepsy‐31 (QOLIE‐31) at six months. There were 18 (13.43%) AEs reported by 5 (3.73%) patients, mainly mild and moderate.

The proportion of patients achieving a clinically significant change is similar to existing CBMPs in epilepsy literature. AE incidence was lower than similar studies although this may be due to the large proportion (67.16%) of individuals who were not cannabis naïve.

Initiation of CBMPs was associated with an improvement across all PROMs. CBMPs were well tolerated across the cohort. However, randomized controlled trials are needed to help determine causality.

This study assesses CBMPs) for treatment‐resistant epilepsy using UK medical cannabis registry data. Significant improvements in quality of life, anxiety, and sleep were observed, with few AE. Findings suggest CBMPs are well tolerated, but randomised trials are needed to confirm efficacy.