An Australian-made cannabis tablet is being touted as a potential new option for millions living with chronic pain, though a clinical trial found it failed to outperform a placebo.
The CBD tablet, developed by an Australian company, has been tested in a trial of 155 people and found to be safe, with around 10 per cent receiving some pain relief.
Aprelle Fleming, who lives with debilitating pain from a lung condition called sarcoidosis, is desperate for another option that won’t impact her ability to function.
“The pain has been so severe I’ve almost gone to hospital. I take high-dose opioids and sometimes they don’t do anything,” Fleming said.
“I think what would really help me would be some cannabis. Being able to take that and still be able to drive would be so beneficial.”
The company is trying to develop the next cannabis-based product without THC, the ingredient that causes a high.
Peter Comerford, CEO of medicinal cannabis company TCANN, said the trial showed promising early results.
“For the active [tablet], you saw the improvement straight away in the first week and then maintained in the second and the third and the fourth,” Comerford said.
However, participants were also allowed to continue pain relief like paracetamol, making it unclear whether the CBD pill helped.
“The overall result is that it didn’t outperform placebo to meet the primary goals of the trial,” Comerford said, adding they need to investigate further.
The company is now seeking TGA registration, but regulators will decide if the evidence stacks up.
“We’re scientists and we always want to keep progressing,” one researcher said.
Chronic pain sufferers remain desperate for anything that will help.