New clinical trial to study CBD and opioid addiction

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A landmark clinical trial is set to examine if a new CBD-based drug, could be an effective treatment for opioid addiction.

Plant-based pharmaceutical company, Brains Bioceutical, is partnering with an esteemed clinical research organisation in the US, to initiate a landmark clinical trial to tackle opioid addiction.

The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York, NY is initiating the study with Brains Bio’s oral drug formulation of CBD, in a hard gelatin capsule.

This preliminary data will be used as a foundation for potential future clinical trials in opioid addiction studies.

Opioid addiction numbers

In the US, opioid addiction and death rates have been soaring since the early 2000’s.

The Centre for Disease Control and prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics estimated that there were 100,306 drug overdose deaths in the United States during the 12-month period ending in April 2021.

This is an increase of 28.5 per cent from the 78,056 deaths during the same period the year before.

Ricky Brar, chairman and CEO of Brains Bio, said: “We are implementing a global first within the CBD industry for this type of research with the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, which we hope will inspire further research across the globe. This study is just one of thirteen clinical trials that Brains Bio has participated in across the world.

“I’m very proud of this accomplishment, wherein we have combined our strengths in producing pharmaceutical CBD API to create a unique partnership with an esteemed clinical research organisation and initiate a landmark clinical trial.”

He added: “We look forward to monetising and capitalising on the resulting market opportunities that will result from this study. When it comes to the CBD industry as a whole, patients and consumers are demanding research. We are proud to be able to play a part in addressing this critical gap in the emerging industry.”

Yasmin Hurd, PhD, Ward-Coleman, director of the Addiction Institute at Mount Sinai added:  “Our multidisciplinary research investigates the neurobiology underlying addiction disorders and related psychiatric illnesses. We are proud to be further exploring the possibilities of CBD and its therapeutic effects. Mount Sinai is committed to the pursuit of ideas that often challenge conventional wisdom to revolutionise the practice of medicine and produce dramatically better outcomes for patients.”

Studies on cannabis and opioid addiction

Earlier this year, Ananda Scientific also announced a ‘key milestone’ study into CBD as a therapeutic alternative for opioid disorders. It is hoped the study will help to reverse the effects of the ongoing opioid epidemic.

Ananda Scientific announced its own CBD-derived drug will be part of the study taking place at the Jane and Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behaviour at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).

The drug, Nantheia ATL5 is an oral product that contains 100mg of CBD in a soft gel capsule.

Read more about this trial here

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