Epidiolex Advisory Committee Appears To Be Covering US FDA's Bases, But Liver Injury Concerns Persist

Panel for first-ever marijuana derivative will discuss safety issues, including link to transaminase elevations, but low potential for abuse and strong efficacy suggest a smooth route to approval.

Airliner in flight
It looks like clear skies for GW Pharmaceuticals's childhood epilepsy drug Epidiolex (cannabidiol).

It seems as if the US FDA's calling of an advisory committee to vote on the risk/benefit profile of GW Pharmaceuticals PLC's childhood epilepsy drug Epidiolex (cannabidiol) is largely designed to cover the agency's bases, in that there is no agency-approved drug containing the marijuana derivative.

But the Peripheral and Central Nervous System Drugs Advisory Committee will also be weighing in on a number of safety...

Read the full article – start your free trial today!

Join thousands of industry professionals who rely on Pink Sheet for daily insights

  • Start your 7-day free trial
  • Explore trusted news, analysis, and insights
  • Access comprehensive global coverage
  • Enjoy instant access – no credit card required

More from US FDA Performance Tracker

Slowdown: US FDA’s 2025 Novel Approvals Are On Below-Average Pace

 

US FDA's 25 novel approvals in 2025 fell short of the agency's five-year average count, driven by a drop in drugs center approvals; 45 user fee goals remain in second half of year.

US FDA’s CRL Release More Incremental Than ‘Radical’ Transparency

 

The transparency initiative collects CRLs already made public in approval packages on its drugs@fda site to post on the openFDA public portal.

America Next: Most Novel Agents With July Goal Dates Have Been Approved Overseas

 

The US FDA will not be in its usual position as the first regulator to approve novel drugs, with only one of the six novel candidates on the July user fee calendar seeking its first approval worldwide in the US

US FDA’s June Approval Forecast: Infection Prevention, Cancer And HAE

 

Upcoming FDA user fee goal dates include novel products from a busy lung cancer pipeline, a single-dose passive immunization against RSV for infants, what could be the first oral HAE acute treatment, and a first-in-class HAE preventive antibody.

More from Regulatory Trackers

EU CHMP Opinions And MAA Updates

 

This is an update of recommendations from the European Medicines Agency's Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use on the authorization of new medicines in the EU, and updates on EU marketing authorization changes recommended by the CHMP.

Global Pharma Guidance Tracker - May 2025

 

Stay up to date on regulatory guidelines from around the world with the Pink Sheet’s Guidance Tracker. The complete Global Pharma Guidance Tracker, with sortable and searchable listings going back to 2014, is available online.

US FDA’s June Approval Forecast: Infection Prevention, Cancer And HAE

 

Upcoming FDA user fee goal dates include novel products from a busy lung cancer pipeline, a single-dose passive immunization against RSV for infants, what could be the first oral HAE acute treatment, and a first-in-class HAE preventive antibody.