Can CBD tame Self-Harm in kids with severe developmental disorders?
NCT ID NCT07564245
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This phase 2 trial will test whether cannabidiol (Epidyolex) can reduce severe self-injuries in 21 children aged 5 to 17 with neurodevelopmental disorders. Participants will receive increasing doses of oral cannabidiol over 28 days, then a steady dose for 35 more days. The main goal is to see if the frequency of self-injuries drops by at least 30% after 63 days.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- cannabidiol (Epidyolex)
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could point toward a new treatment option for severe self-injuries in children with neurodevelopmental disorders, potentially reducing harm and improving quality of life.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-phase trial with only 21 participants, so results may not apply broadly. Cannabidiol may cause side effects like drowsiness or liver issues, and the treatment might not reduce self-injuries as hoped.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Phase 2
Tests whether the treatment actually works, and watches for side effects, in a larger group.
- Participants
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About 21 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Expected to start
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May 2026
An estimate. Start dates often move.
- Expected to finish
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Feb 2030
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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5 to 17 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: 1. Age between 5 years and 17 years 6 months; 2. Weight between 12 and 49.9 kg; 3. Clinical diagnosis of severe neurodevelopmental disorder including severe to profound intellectual developmental disorder, characterized in the DSM-5 by a need for help with any daily activity (meals, dressing, toileting, elimination) and the need for constant supervision; 4. Severe self-injuries during the last 7 days defined by BPI-01, i.e.: 1. at least one type of self-injuries assessed as severe intensity occurring at least once every 3 hours while awake or 2. at least two types of self-injuries assessed as severe intensity occurring at least once every 6 hours each while awake; 5. Self-injuries refractory to treatment with atypical neuroleptic (RISPERIDONE, ARIPIPRAZOLE, etc.) at a dosage deemed effective by the investigator in view of the patient's weight, age and background, for a minimum duration of 30 days (except in the case of poor tolerance by the patient); 6. No change in drug and non-drug treatments such as rehabilitative care (psychomotricity, occupational therapy, speech therapy, intervention by a specialist educator) for at least one month; 7. In WOCBP and with active sexual life: negatives hCG and use of highly effective contraceptive measure until 18 days after the end of the treatment. 8. The participant has a caregiver who can reliably accompany him/her to all clinic visits, provide reliable assessments, help him/her to comply with study requirements, and interact with him/her on a regular basis. 9. Signature of Consent of both holders of parental authority; 10. Affiliation to social security regimen. Exclusion Criteria: \- 1. Underweight corresponding to a body mass index below the IOTF 18.5 curve on the International Obesity Task Force's body mass index curves for girls and boys 2. Hypersensitivity to the active substance (cannabidiol) or to any of the excipients (refined sesame oil, anhydrous ethanol, sucralose, strawberry flavor, benzyl alcohol); 3. Treatment with or consumption of cannabidiol in the 12 weeks prior to inclusion; 4. Consumption of cannabis in the 12 weeks prior to inclusion; 5. Usual treatment (excluding treatment of self-injuries) containing molecules interacting with cannabidiol (rifampicin, carbamazepine, enzalutamide, mitotane, St. John's wort, clobazam, valproate, stiripentol, phenytoin, lamotrigine, everolimus, theophylline, tizanidine, bupropion, efavirenz, diflunisal, propofol, fenofibrate, gemfibrozil, morphine, lorazepam, repaglinide, warfarin, sirolimus, tacrolimus, digoxin); 6. Elevated transaminases \> 3N or total bilirubin \> 2N; 7. Known current heart failure; 8. Known current terminal renal failure (GFR \< 15 ml/min/1.73 m2); 9. Known current moderate or severe hepatic insufficiency (Child-Pugh B or C); 10. Known current epilepsy or history of epilepsy, even stabilized, requiring treatment currently or not, whatever the type; 11. Pregnancy or breastfeeding; 12. Inability of the patient or entourage to comply with the study protocol; 13. Patient currently participating in another interventional research (category 1 or 2), clinical trial or clinical investigation, or who are in the exclusion period following him/her participation in another study of this type, as defined in the protocol of that study. 14\. Participant related to a person involved in the study at the investigational site
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
2 sites. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Hopital Necker Enfants malades
Paris, Île-de-France Region, 75015, France
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Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière
Paris, Île-de-France Region, 75013, France