News in brief: Cannabidiol on PBS for Dravet syndrome; TBI linked to mental health in kids; Zostavax stroke prevention strategy

3 May 2021

Cannabidiol on PBS for  Dravet Syndrome

A cannabidiol product, Epidyolex, will be available on the PBS from 1 May for third line treatment of Dravet Syndrome (DS) in combination with at least two other anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs).

The listing is expected to provide access treatment for around 116 patients each year, who might otherwise pay more than $24,000 per year for the medicinal cannabis product. Epidyolex was recommended for listing in March 2020 by the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee, which found that it was cost effective when compared to stiripentol. The PBAC recommended criteria stated that the patient must have, or have had, generalised tonic-clonic seizures or generalised clonic seizures that are not adequately controlled with at least two other anti-epileptic drugs at initiating treatment.


Mental health problems in children with TBI

A third of children and adolescents develop a mental health problem after a concussion, which could persist for several years post-injury, according to research, led by the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute (MCRI).

A review of 69 studies involving almost 90,000 children who had a concussion from falls, sporting injuries and car accidents found that up to 36.7% experienced significantly high levels of internalising problems such as withdrawing, anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress and 20% externalising problems such as aggression, attention problems and hyperactivity after concussion, compared with healthy children or children who sustained other injuries such as an arm fracture.

Pre-existing mental health problems were a strong predictor of post-concussion mental health issues, according to the review published in the the British Journal of Sports Medicine.


Zoster vaccine for stroke prevention?

Vaccination against herpes zoster has the potential to reduce to the risk of stroke and might even be considered a preventive strategies, according to Monash University researchers.

In an article in Stroke, they noted that a US study found that Zostavax vaccination was associated with a 17% reduced risk of incident acute ischemic stroke and a 12% reduced risk of incident haemorrhagic stroke.

The results from the five study involving 1.6 million US Medicare patients, supported previous research showing that herpes zoster was associated with increased risk of satroke. Zoster-associated strokes were thought to occur as a result of viral replication within the cranial nerves and subsequent spread along the entire neuroaxis, leading to inflammation and vascular damage, they said.

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