Salisbury, United Kingdom: Whole-cannabis extracts significantly reduce pain caused by Rheumatoid Arthritis, according to the results of a Phase II clinical trial announced this week by GW Pharmaceuticals.
Fifty-eight patients participated in the double-blind, randomized trial. Participants experienced a reduction in pain and improved quality of sleep compared to placebo.
Philip Robson, director of GW’s Cannabinoid Research Institute, called the results “particularly exciting because this is the first ever controlled clinical trial of a cannabis-based medicine in the treatment of arthritis.”
GW is currently awaiting approval from Britain’s Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) to legalize medicinal cannabis extracts for use in the treatment of Multiple Sclerosis.
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