By Pat Anson, PNN Editor
Medical cannabis improved symptoms in 9 out of 10 chronic pain patients taking oral formulations of cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), according to a large new study from Colombia.
The observational study, the largest of its kind in Latin America, is the first peer-reviewed clinical evidence on the efficacy and safety of cannabis products made by Khiron Life Sciences. More than 2,100 patients with various chronic pains self-reported their symptoms after taking CBD oil and THC formulations at a Khiron clinic in Bogota.
The results are published in the peer-reviewed journal Frontiers of pain research.
“We believe that these results are generalizable to all patient populations, given that our results align extremely well with those reported by researchers working with similar clinical populations in countries with long-standing medical cannabis access programs. date, like Israel and Canada,” author Guillermo Moreno-Sanz, global scientific director of Khiron Life Sciences, said in a press release.
While most previous studies have only looked at the short-term effects of cannabis ingested by various methods, this study focused on the safety and effectiveness of cannabis oils for up to 26 weeks. Most of the participants were women, with an average age of 59.
Patients received cannabis oils composed primarily of CBD (30mg CBD/2mg THC) or a more balanced formulation (14mg CBD/12mg THC).
Key findings from the study include:
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92.5% of patients reported some improvement in their chronic pain.
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75% reported a moderate or robust reduction in chronic pain
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72% reported no adverse side effects
The degree of improvement was similar between the two formulations, although men reported less effectiveness during the first 4 weeks of treatment.
Most side effects were mild, such as drowsiness (13%), dizziness (8%) and dry mouth (4%), and subsided after 12 weeks of treatment. No serious adverse events requiring hospitalization or medical intervention were reported.
“This study, based on Khiron’s medical products, is essential to reassure doctors and health insurance providers about the effectiveness of medical cannabis for treating chronic pain. The global impact and economic burden of chronic pain in our society, the accumulation of medical evidence will increase access to cannabinoid-based medicines around the world,” said Alvaro Torres, CEO and Director of Khiron.
Khiron Life Sciences is a medical cannabis company based in Colombia. Its products are sold in Colombia, Peru, Germany, the United Kingdom and Brazil, and will soon be available in Mexico.
Recent studies have also found cannabis oil effective in treating fibromyalgia and migraine.
