No guarantee cannabis treatment will work for teen in coma
OneNews 11 June 2015
There is no guarantee an experimental cannabidiol treatment that will be used on a Nelson teenager in an induced coma will work, experts say.
Doctors treating 19-year-old Alex Renton have been given approval by Associate Health Minister Peter Dunne for the one-off use of Elixinol, a cannabidiol (CBD) product from the United States.
Mr Renton has been in Wellington Hospital since early April suffering from a form of prolonged seizure, known as status epilepticus.
Doctors have tried more than 20 medications to treat him, but none have worked.
University of Otago senior lecturer John Ashton says there’s no evidence Elixinol will work either.
“This is uncharted territory,” he said.
http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/uncharted-territory-no-guarantee-cannabis-treatment-work-teen-in-coma-6335891
