Washington (AP) – An experimental medicine made of marijuana successfully reduced back pain in a new examination, and offers further support for the potential of the drug in the treatment of one of the most common forms of chronic pain.
The 800-patient study of a German drugstore is the latest proof of the therapeutic properties of cannabis, which remain illegal according to US federal legislation, even because most states have made it available for medical or recreational use.
Health officials in Canada and Europe have previously approved a pharmaceutical form of cannabis for different types of pain, including nerve pain due to multiple sclerosis. In the US, the Food and Drug Administration has approved a drug with CBD-one of the many non-intoxious chemicals found in cannabis to treat rare attacks in children with epilepsy.
In contrast to that medicine, known as Epidiolex, the new cannabis formula from drug maker Vertanical THC contains the active ingredient in marijuana that uses users high. But the levels of the chemical substance are very low, essentially a microdosis compared to what is available in gummies, chocolate bars and other products that are sold in marijuana pharmacies in the US that the company said that patients in the test did not show any signs of drug abuse, dependence or withdrawal.
Vertanical seeks approval for a large group of patients: those who suffer from lower pain, a chronic condition that affects millions and has little proven treatments.
Freely available painkillers such as ibuprofen cannot be used for long -term pain because of their side effects, including stomach ulcers and indigestion. Opioids are no longer recommended, after the prevention of painkillers such as Oxycontin in the nineties and 2000s led to the continuous epidemic of addiction to that class of drugs.
Chronic pain is one of the most frequently mentioned circumstances of people who are registered in medical marijuana programs run by the state. But little rigorous research has been done into the use of the medicine in that group.
Capital Study Dr. Matthias Karst said in an e-mail that the new findings show that cannabis “can significantly reduce pain and improve physical function in patients with chronic low-back pain, without the safety problems that are often associated with opioids.” Karst is a pain specialist at Hanover Medical School and a consultant for Vertanical.
For the new study, patients with back pain were randomly assigned to take Vertanical's patented liquid cannabis extract or a placebo.
After the end of 12 weeks, patients who used the drug reported an almost 2-point reduction of pain on an 11-point scale compared to 1.4 points for those who take placebo. The difference was statistically significant. Those who get the medicine also reported improvements to sleep and physical function.
Patients who continued with an expansion phase of six months remained a reduction in pain. The results were published on Monday in the Nature magazine.
Side effects were dizziness, headache, fatigue and nausea and led more than 17% of people to stop the drug early. Researchers said that the failure of the failure was lower than what is usually reported with opioids, which can cause constipation, nausea, sleepiness and risks of addiction.
Vertanical has submitted an application for his medicine to European supervisors. In the US, the company says that it “works closely” with supervisors to design an investigation to support the FDA approval.
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