Highly Purified Cannabidiol for Treatment Resistant Epilepsy: Experiences from a Large Open Label Study and its Translation to Clinical Practice

Speaker Tyler Gaston. Highly purified cannabidiol oral solution was approved by the FDA for the treatment of seizures associated with several specific epilepsy syndromes (Lennox Gastaut Syndrome, Dravet Syndrome, and Tuberous Sclerosis Complex). In addition to the pivotal phase III clinical trials that led to this approval, there were multiple concomitant open-label expanded access programs in several states investigating the use of this same product on treatment-resistant epilepsy. As one of the investigators of one of the largest expanded access programs, Dr. Gaston will discuss her experiences conducting this study, the results from the open-label studies, and how they add to the body of knowledge, Further, she will discuss how her experience has influenced her clinical practice of prescribing this product to patients with epilepsy since the FDA approval.

Video link: https://vimeo.com/734771809/9ef5520b8f

Speaker Details

Full Name
Tyler Gaston

Position
Assistant Professor of Neurology

Institution
University of Alabama at Birmingham

Bio
Dr. Tyler Gaston is an Assistant Professor of Neurology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and the Birmingham VA Medical Center. She obtained her undergraduate degrees in chemistry and psychology at Vanderbilt University, medical school at the University of South Alabama, and completed neurology residency at UAB, and served as chief resident. She also completed her clinical neurophysiology fellowship at UAB prior to joining faculty. Dr. Gaston is a current and past member of multiple committees of the American Epilepsy Society, and serves on the Professional Advisory Board for the Alabama chapter of the Epilepsy Foundation. Dr. Gaston is an adult epileptologist, and her clinical and research interests include exploring novel pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic treatments for epilepsy, treating psychogenic non-epileptic seizures, investigating cannabinoids in treating epilepsy, and treatments of co-morbidities of epilepsy, namely cognitive dysfunction. She is also very passionate about epilepsy education and serves as one of the core clinical faculty for UAB’s Epilepsy Fellowship Program.