Nine out of 10 chronic pain patients see improvements with cannabis

Real-world data collected by Khiron Life Sciences in Columbia shows the effectiveness of medical cannabis on managing chronic pain.

Khiron Life Sciences, a medical cannabis company operating throughout Latin America and Europe, has published the results of its first clinical study on the use of medical cannabis in treating chronic pain.  

The data, which appears in the international peer-reviewed journal Frontiers in Pain Research, captures patient-reported outcome measures and adverse effects in a cohort of 2,112 adult patients in Columbia.

This is the largest study of its kind in Latin America, and the first published clinical evidence on the effectiveness and safety of Khiron’s THC and CBD oil-based cannabis formulations – two of the most prescribed products at Khiron’s Zerenia Clinics.

According to the results, nine out of 10 patients (92 per cent) reported some degree of improvement of their chronic pain, with seven out of 10 reporting an improvement larger than 50 per cent after four weeks of treatment.

Seven out of 10 patients did not experience any adverse effects related to the treatment, while those reported adverse side effects were mild and transient, fading after 12 weeks.

The majority of patients were female, with an average age of 58-years-old. One third of participants were aged 65 and over.

The authors concluded that the cannabis-based oral formulations represent a “safe and efficacious adjuvant therapeutic option in the management of chronic pain” and “may represent a valuable option for physicians”. 

Khiron operates 14 clinics across Latin America and has treated over 14,000 patients with medical cannabis.

It launched its first Zerenia Clinic in the UK at the end of last year.

Alvaro Torres, Khiron CEO and Director, commented: “This study, based on Khiron’s medical products, is critical to reassure physicians and health insurance providers of the efficacy of medicinal cannabis to treat chronic pain. The global impact and economic burden of chronic pain in our society, mounting medical evidence will increase access to cannabinoid-based medicines worldwide.

“The recent vote in the US House of Representatives promoting medical research on cannabis clearly shows the pressing need to develop effective and safe cannabis-based medication for suffering patients worldwide. With this and upcoming studies, Khiron will continue to stand above in the field of medical research and to expand the access for patients in those jurisdictions in which we are present.”

Additional studies are expected as Khiron continues to expand globally, with the aim of creating a 360-solution for healthcare providers, insurance companies, and patients to benefit from the prescription of medical cannabis. 

Guillermo Moreno-Sanz, the first author of the study and Global Scientific Director of Khiron Life Sciences added: “We believe these findings to be generalisable across patient populations, considering that our results are extremely well-aligned with those reported by researchers working with similar clinical populations in nations with long-standing medicinal cannabis access programs, such as Israel and Canada.”

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