ClinicalTrials.gg
CompletedNCT02332655Updated Mar 2, 2022Results posted

Cannabidiol Expanded Access Study in Medically Refractory Sturge-Weber Syndrome

A Phase 1/2 interventional study of Cannabidiol in Sturge-Weber Syndrome, sponsored by Anne Comi, MD. Completed at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 1 Month to 45 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2022-03-02.

Sponsored by Anne Comi, MD · Phase 1/2, Interventional, and Treatment

Phase
Phase 1/2
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
5
Allocation
Not applicable
Ages
1 Month to 45 Years
Sex
All
01

Where this study stands

Counted across the records on this site · 2026-11-12

Among 78 studies in Drug Resistant Epilepsy with a site in United States — 30 open to participants now, 35 under way, 2 of them phase 3. Drug Resistant Epilepsy · United States.

Enrollment
62nd of 67
5 · median 27
Started
2014
with 2 others
Phase 1/2
3 of 78
1 open now
Registered
9th of 78
by date

Among the 78 studies in Drug Resistant Epilepsy with a site in United States, this one is the 62nd largest by enrollment of the 67 interventional ones, is one of 3 that started in 2014, is one of 3 in phase 1/2, and was the 9th registered.

By phase

78 studies; the count open now beside each. This study's row is marked.

No phase38 · 22 open
Phase 19 · 3 open
Phase 29 · 1 open
Observational7 · 2 open
Phase 2/35 · 0 open
Other kind3 · 1 open
Phase 1/2this study3 · 1 open
Phase 32 · 0 open
Phase 42 · 0 open

By the year they started

First in 2001; this study’s year is marked. 3 started in 2014.

Size and results

Median enrollment 27 across the 67 interventional studies, 100 across the 7 observational. Of the 34 that completed or were terminated, 14 (41%) have results posted.

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Watch this landscapeDownload CSVWith an account: a weekly mail of what changed among 78 studies in Drug Resistant Epilepsy with a site in United States, or all of them as a file.
02

Study summary

The purpose of this study is to determine the tolerability and optimal dose of cannabidiol (CBD) as an simultaneous treatment in children and young adults with Sturge-Weber syndrome (SWS) and drug resistant epilepsy.

Read the detailed description

We hope to gain an understanding of the utility of pure CBD used for the treatment of medically refractory epilepsy in SWS in this open-label, safety dose-finding, study. Recent evidence suggests that CBD has multiple, beneficial, effects in patients (such as those with SWS that undergo neurological deterioration) suffering from medically refractory seizures. We hypothesize that CBD will reduce seizure frequency in children and young adults with SWS and will therefore help stabilize and improve their neurologic status.This trial is part of an expanded access program, available through a partnership with GW Pharmaceutical, which has been sanctioned by the FDA to study the safety and efficacy of Epidiolex (cannabidiol/CBD) in participants with SWS and medically refractory seizures.

03

Conditions studied

  • Sturge-Weber Syndrome

Keywords

  • Sturge-Weber syndrome
  • SWS
  • Drug resistant epilepsy
04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
1 Month to 45 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Eligibility criteria

Inclusion Criteria: Participants with Sturge-Weber syndrome brain involvement as defined on neuroimaging (n=10 subjects, male and female, ages 1 month to 45 years of age) and the following:

  • Documentation of a diagnosis of drug resistant epilepsy as evidenced by failure to control seizures despite appropriate trial of two or more AEDs at therapeutic doses. Drug resistant epilepsy for this study is defined as: At least 1 reported quantifiable (no cluster or innumerable) defined seizure with motor signs per month for at least 3 months prior to initial visit and during the period between Visit 1 (Screening Visit) and Visit 2 (Baseline Visit), as per data captured in daily seizure diaries. These can be focal seizures, focal seizures with impaired consciousness, myoclonic seizures, generalized, and secondarily generalized seizures.
  • Between 1-5 baseline anti-epileptic drugs at stable doses for a minimum of 4 weeks prior to enrollment. Vagus nerve stimulator (VNS), ketogenic diet and modified Atkins diet do not count toward this limit.
  • VNS must be on stable settings for a minimum of 3 months prior to enrollment.
  • If on ketogenic or Atkins diet, must be on stable ratio for a minimum of 3 months prior to enrollment.
  • Previous subjects who failed at any point to meet continuation criteria and withdrew early may be considered for re-enrollment under a new subject ID as long as the above inclusion criteria are met. The determination of whether to re-enroll will be made by the PI and sponsor on a case-by-case basis. Re-enrollment can occur no earlier than 4 weeks after the final, post-weaning follow-up visit under the old subject ID.

Written obtained from the patient or the patient's legal representative must be obtained prior to beginning treatment.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Patients with seizures secondary to metabolic, toxic, infectious or psychogenic disorder or drug abuse or current seizures related to an acute medical illness.
  • Presence of only non-motor partial seizures (without limb or facial movements, eye deviation or head turning)
  • Patients who require rescue medication during the Baseline phase for more than 6 days.
  • Patients with any severe and/or uncontrolled medical conditions at randomization such as:

    1. liver disease such as cirrhosis, decompensated liver disease, and chronic hepatitis [i.e. quantifiable virus (HBV)-DNA and/or positive HbsAg, quantifiable virus (HCV)-RNA]
    2. Uncontrolled diabetes as defined by fasting serum glucose > 1.5
    3. Active (acute or chronic) or uncontrolled severe infections.
    4. Patients with an active, bleeding diathesis.
  • Patients who have had a major surgery or significant traumatic injury within 4 weeks of study entry. Patients who have not recovered from the side effects of any major surgery (defined as requiring general anesthesia), or patients that may require major surgery during the course of the study.
  • Patients who change the dose of the AEDs during 4 weeks before screening or during the baseline period.
  • Prior treatment with any drug within the preceding 4 weeks prior to study entry.
  • Patients with a history of non-compliance to medical regimens or who are considered potentially unreliable or will not be able to complete the entire study. Those in foster care, unable to keep follow-up appointments, maintain close contact with Principal Investigator, or complete all necessary studies to maintain safety.
  • Pregnant or nursing (lactating) women, where pregnancy is defined as the state of a female after conception and until the termination of gestation, confirmed by a positive human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) laboratory test.
Terms in these criteria, in plain language(4)

Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.

Informed consent

Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.

You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.

Hepatitis B tests

Hepatitis B is a virus that infects the liver. These are separate tests: HBsAg positive usually means a current infection (a recent vaccination can briefly cause it too); total anti-HBc (HBcAb) positive means an infection now or in the past; HBV DNA measures how much virus is in the blood.

Some studies accept a past infection if HBV DNA is undetectable, sometimes with antiviral medicine during the study. Check what this study allows.

Hepatitis C tests

Hepatitis C is a virus that infects the liver. An HCV antibody test can stay positive after an infection has cleared (and is occasionally positive without one); an HCV RNA test shows whether the virus is there now.

After treatment, hepatitis C counts as cured when HCV RNA is still undetectable 12 weeks or more after the treatment ended. Studies often accept people cured this way.

Investigational drug or device

A drug or device being studied in a clinical trial.

It may be new, or already approved and being studied for another use, dose or form. Criteria often leave out people who took part in another study of one within a recent period, commonly 30 days or five half-lives.

05

Study design

Phase
Phase 1 / Phase 2
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Not applicable
Intervention model
Single group
Masking
None (open label)
Enrollment
5 participants (actual)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    Cannabidiol

    All subjects will receive the experimental Epidiolex (cannabidiol) oral solution to be taken at home twice a day, and will be treated on an outpatient basis. The drug will be taken for 48 weeks unless the subject chooses to participate in the extension phase of the study, in which case the subject will continue to receive the drug for one additional year or until the drug is approved for clinical use for the treatment of epilepsy in patients with Sturge-Weber syndrome.

    Drug: Cannabidiol

Interventions

  • Initiation of treatment will begin with 2mg/kg/day. The dose will be increased by 3 mg/kg/day after seven days and then by 5 mg/kg/day every seven days up to a maximum dose of 25 mg/kg/day given. The dose of concomitant antiepileptic drugs will remain unchanged during the first 12 weeks of CBD treatment (or until 8 weeks after steady state at final dose), unless symptoms of toxicity and/or significant changes in blood levels are observed.

    Also known as: Epidiolex, CBD

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Number of Seizures Per Month

    A baseline seizure frequency was recorded for each subject in a diary for eight weeks prior to investigational drug initiation and parents/caregivers documented seizures on a daily basis throughout the trial using a seizure log. For assessing the efficacy of CBD, the investigator counted the change in frequency of seizures per month. The number of seizures within 56 days of the baseline and the number of seizures within 56 days of week 14 were calculated. Higher seizure frequency indicates worse outcome. This outcome is measured as the change in number of seizures per month between the baseline and week 14 time points.

    Time frame: Measured within 56 days before baseline and 56 days before week 14

Secondary outcomes

  1. Percentage Change in Seizure Frequency at Most Recent Visit on CBD Compared With Baseline

    The percentage change, between the seizure frequency per month reported at baseline compared to seizure frequency per month at the subject's most recent visit, on CBD was calculated. Higher positive percentage change in seizure frequency per month would indicate better outcome. Positive values indicate a decrease in seizure frequency.

    Time frame: Measured at Baseline and most recent visit within 1 year

07

Results

Posted Mar 2, 2022

Participant flow

Participant flow — Overall Study
MilestoneCannabidiol
Started5
Completed4
Not completed1
Withdrew: Lack of efficacy1

Outcome measures

PrimaryNumber of Seizures Per Month

A baseline seizure frequency was recorded for each subject in a diary for eight weeks prior to investigational drug initiation and parents/caregivers documented seizures on a daily basis throughout the trial using a seizure log. For assessing the efficacy of CBD, the investigator counted the change in frequency of seizures per month. The number of seizures within 56 days of the baseline and the number of seizures within 56 days of week 14 were calculated. Higher seizure frequency indicates worse outcome. This outcome is measured as the change in number of seizures per month between the baseline and week 14 time points.

Time frame:
Measured within 56 days before baseline and 56 days before week 14
Reported as:
Mean · Seizures per month
Number of Seizures Per Month
Seizures per monthCannabidiol
Subject 1 Overall Average Number of Seizures per Month at Baseline33.5 ± 7.78
Subject 1 Overall Average Number of Seizures per Month at Week 1430.0 ± 2.83
Subject 2 Overall Average Number of Seizures per Month at Baseline3.0 ± 1.41
Subject 2 Overall Average Number of Seizures per Month at Week 140.5 ± 0.71
Subject 3 (Re-enrolled) Overall Average Number of Seizures per Month at Baseline3.0 ± 1.41
Subject 3 (Re-enrolled) Overall Average Number of Seizures per Month at Week 142.0 ± 0.00
Subject 4 Overall Average Number of Seizures per Month at Baseline5.0 ± 1.41
Subject 4 Overall Average Number of Seizures per Month at Week 140.5 ± 0.71
Subject 5 Overall Average Number of Seizures per Month at Baseline1.0 ± 0.00
SecondaryPercentage Change in Seizure Frequency at Most Recent Visit on CBD Compared With Baseline

The percentage change, between the seizure frequency per month reported at baseline compared to seizure frequency per month at the subject's most recent visit, on CBD was calculated. Higher positive percentage change in seizure frequency per month would indicate better outcome. Positive values indicate a decrease in seizure frequency.

Time frame:
Measured at Baseline and most recent visit within 1 year
Reported as:
Number · Percentage Change in Seizure Frequency
Percentage Change in Seizure Frequency at Most Recent Visit on CBD Compared With Baseline
Percentage Change in Seizure FrequencyCannabidiol
Subject 1 Percent decrease in Seizure Frequency at Most Recent Visit on CBD Compared with Baseline12
Subject 2 Percent decrease in Seizure Frequency at Most Recent Visit on CBD Compared with Baseline100
Subject 3 Percent decrease in Seizure Frequency at Most Recent Visit on CBD Compared with Baseline83
Subject 4 Percent decrease in Seizure Frequency at Most Recent Visit on CBD Compared with Baseline64

Adverse events

Collected over 48 weeks. Non-serious events are listed at a 0% frequency threshold.

Adverse event summary by group
GroupDeathsSeriousOther
Cannabidiol0/5 (0%)3/5 (60%)5/5 (100%)
Most frequent serious events
Most frequent serious events
EventCannabidiol
Left Eye Vertical NystagmusEye disorders1/5
PneumoniaRespiratory, thoracic and mediastinal disorders1/5
Facial Skin InfectionSkin and subcutaneous tissue disorders1/5
Most frequent other events
Most frequent other events
EventCannabidiol
Temporary increased seizuresNervous system disorders3/5
Behavioral IssuesPsychiatric disorders2/5
Increased aspartate aminotransferase liver function testInvestigations1/5
Right eye exotropia and redness/intermittent exotropia without rednessEye disorders1/5
TirednessGeneral disorders1/5

Baseline characteristics

Age, Categorical
Age, Categorical(Participants)Cannabidiol
<=18 years4
Between 18 and 65 years1
>=65 years0
Age, Continuous
Age, Continuous(years)Cannabidiol
Mean8.83 ± 6.3
Sex: Female, Male
Sex: Female, Male(Participants)Cannabidiol
Female4
Male1
Race and Ethnicity Not Collected
Race and Ethnicity Not Collected(Participants)Cannabidiol
Region of Enrollment
Region of Enrollment(participants)Cannabidiol
United States5
08

Study locations

1 site
  • Kennedy Krieger Institute
    Baltimore, Maryland 21205, United States
09

References and documents

Study documents

PDFs hosted by the registry, ClinicalTrials.gov.

10

Timeline

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
Not marked actual or estimatedDates not marked actual or estimated

The record gives a start of Dec 2014, a primary completion of Apr 2019 and a completion of Apr 2021. It does not say whether these dates are actual or estimated.

Results were first posted in Mar 2022, 2 years 11 months after primary completion.

How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.

Registered
Jan 5, 2015
First posted
Jan 7, 2015
Start
Dec 2014
Primary completionActual
Apr 2019
CompletionActual
Apr 2021
Results first posted
Mar 2, 2022
Last update
Mar 2, 2022
What these dates mean
Start.
When the first participant enrolled; while estimated, when the study expects to open to recruitment.
Primary completion.
When the last participant was examined or treated to collect data for the study's main question, its primary outcome. A study that stopped early gives the date its data collection stopped.
Completion.
When the last participant's last visit took place, for every outcome, secondary ones and side effects included: the end of the study. Often later than primary completion, sometimes the same day.
Actual and Est.
Actual means the registry says the date has happened. Est. (estimated) is a date the sponsor plans or expects. It can still move, and the sponsor is expected to change it to actual once it has passed.
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Mar 2, 2022, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
11

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT02332655
Lead sponsor
Anne Comi, MD
Collaborators
Jazz Pharmaceuticals, Faneca 66 Foundation
Responsible party
Anne Comi, MD (Principal Investigator, Director Sturge-Weber Center, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Professor Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Hugo W. Moser Research Institute at Kennedy Krieger, Inc.) — Sponsor-investigator
First posted
Jan 7, 2015
Start date
Dec 2014
Primary completion
Apr 2019
Completion
Apr 2021
Results posted
Mar 2, 2022
Last update
Mar 2, 2022

Study contacts

Anne M Comi, MD
principal investigator · Hugo W. Moser Research Institute at Kennedy Krieger, Inc.

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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This study is completed, as verified in Feb 2022. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.

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Studies of the drug tested here: Cannabidiol

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