Cannabis-based dementia treatment
15 Feb 2019 by Evoluted New Media
The first cannabis-based medicine to be licensed in the UK will be trialled as a treatment for people living with dementia.
Alzheimer’s Research UK is committing nearly £300,000 for the trial of Sativex, which comes in the form of a spray and contains two chemical extracts derived from the cannabis plant: delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol and cannabidiol.
Professor Dag Aarsland, lead researcher on the trial, said: “Current treatments for behavioural and psychiatric symptoms of dementia are very limited, and we desperately need to develop alternatives.
“Doctors sometimes prescribe anti-psychotic medications, and while these drugs can have important benefits, these need to be weighed against the risk of very serious side effects.”
A team at King’s College London will recruit volunteers with Alzheimer’s disease between 55 and 90 years old. Researchers will compare the results from participants taking Sativex and those taking a placebo.
Dr David Reynolds, Chief Scientific Officer of Alzheimer’s Research UK, said: “With no new dementia treatments in over 15 years, it is vital that we test a wide range of approaches to find effective ways to help people living with the condition.”
Sativex is currently not licensed in the UK for anything other than the treatment of muscle stiffness experienced by people with multiple sclerosis. Plants for the drug are grown under a Home Office licence in secure conditions.
