Clinical Trials
Opioid use disorder treated with CBD in new trial
A clinical trial investigating CBD’s effectiveness as an opioid use disorder treatment has enrolled its first patient.
As part of a “key milestone” for the company, pharmaceutical company Ananda Scientific has announced the beginning of a clinical trial exploring the use of CBD for opioid use disorder.
Ananda’s proprietary CBD formula, NantheiaTM ATL5, will be evaluated in a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) in the US.
As an adjunctive therapy to buprenorphine and naloxone, participants will receive cannabidiol (CBD) at dosages of 600 and 1200 mg/day, as well as residential behavioral therapy, including cognitive behavioral therapy.
Medications such as morphine, fentanyl, and tramadol are commonly used for pain relief, but prolonged use, misuse, and use without medical supervision can lead to opioid dependence.
According to the World Health Organisation, drug use is the cause for half a million deaths worldwide, with over 70% of those related to opiates.
Conditions such as chronic pain are often being treated by alternative medicines like cannabis now, but their ability to manage addiction is still as yet unknown.
Besides testing CBD’s safety and tolerability in these patients, they will assess cue-induced cravings, spontaneous cravings, opioid withdrawal, negative affective states, relapse, and retention in buprenorphine and naloxone treatment.
"A key milestone for research into opioid use disorder"
Principal investigators Distinguished Professor Edythe London, PhD and Professor Richard De La Garza II, PhD of Psychiatry and Biobehavioural Sciences at the Semel Institute, Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA are leading up the trial.
Dr London said “The first patient enrolled in this study is a key milestone for our ongoing research into therapeutic alternatives for opioid use disorder.”
They continued, “Bridging psychiatry, pharmacology and neuroscience, we are looking to develop evidence-based treatments for addiction.”
Dr De La Garza also said: “We are excited to be moving this trial forward after completing all the preparatory work. We hope this clinical trial will answer important questions about the potential of cannabidiol in the treatment of opioid addiction.”
Sohail R Zaidi, Ananda’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) said: “We are delighted to have the first patient enrolled in this important trial of our investigational drug Nantheia™ ATL5.”
“This clinical study is an important component of our clinical development efforts focused on opioid addiction, where non-addictive therapy is a significant unmet need.”
“We are impressed by the clinical competence and operational diligence of the clinical trial team at UCLA which makes them our partner of choice for future trials as we develop the clinical programme.”
