Meet the Newest Treatment for Autism Using Cannabidiol

With ever more states legalizing cannabis in the United States, it’s only a matter of time before it is legal across the country. After all, this drug does offer opportunities—outside of recreation—to treat serious diseases and conditions. Now, Zynerba Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: ZYNE) has announced that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has issued a patent for the firm’s treatment of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) with cannabidiol (CBD).

This patent includes claims directed to methods of treating ASD by administering a therapeutically effective amount of synthetic CBD. This new patent, which expires in 2038, is part of an expanding intellectual property portfolio covering the company’s CBD product candidate, Zygel (ZYN002 transdermal CBD gel).

Note that this patent follows the previously announced issuance of the firm’s last patent, titled “Treatment of Fragile X Syndrome with Cannabidiol,” which includes claims directed to methods of treating Fragile X Syndrome by administering a therapeutically effective amount of synthetic or purified CBD.

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The issuance of this patent comes as enrollment progresses in the open label Phase 2 Bright study evaluating the safety, tolerability and efficacy of Zygel for the treatment of children and adolescents with ASD. The efficacy assessments include the Aberrant Behavior Checklist, Parent Rated Anxiety Scale – Autism Spectrum Disorder, Autism Impact Measure and Clinical Global Impression – Severity and Improvement. The company expects to report top-line data in the first half of 2020.

Shares of Zynerba traded up about 7% Tuesday morning to $12.40, in a 52-week range of $2.75 to $16.47. The consensus price target is $20.08.

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