Feb 26, 2020 - Health

Cannabis-based drug is going mainstream

Bob Herman

A white box of Epidiolex with a brown vial and syringes. — Epidiolex has a list price of $1,310 per bottle. Photo: GW Pharmaceuticals

Sales of the epilepsy drug Epidiolex hit almost $300 million in 2019, GW Pharmaceuticals reported Tuesday. Sales are expected to surpass a half-billion dollars this year as the drug gains more insurance coverage in Europe.

Why it matters: Epidiolex is the first FDA-approved medication made from a substance in cannabis, and it's starting to take off.

Where things stand: Epidiolex got off the ground in 2018, and more doctors started to prescribe the medicine in 2019. Roughly 60% of patients taking Epidiolex are kids who suffer from rare diseases that cause seizures.

New launches in Germany, the U.K., France, Spain and Italy will help almost double Epidiolex sales this year, according to Wall Street analysts.
It also doesn't hurt that GW Pharmaceuticals raised the list price of Epidiolex by 6% this past January, from $1,235 per 100 mL bottle to $1,310 — even though nothing about the drug changed.

Go deeper: Pharma starting to see green with cannabis

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Cannabis-based drug is going mainstream

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