Industry
Ananda Pharma Doses First Patient in NIHR-Backed CIPN Trial
The study is evaluating MRX1, the company’s proprietary CBD-based oral solution, as a treatment for chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN).
Ananda Pharma has dosed the first patient in the ACTiON trial, a Phase 2 NIHR-funded study evaluating MRX1, the company’s proprietary CBD-based oral solution, as a treatment for chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN), a debilitating nerve-damage condition caused by chemotherapy for which no effective therapies currently exist.
CIPN, which according to the Seretny et al. 2014 systematic review affects ~67% or more of patients during neurotoxic chemotherapy, causes lasting numbness, tingling, and pain in the hands and feet, frequently persisting long after chemotherapy ends.
Its severity often forces oncologists to reduce or stop chemotherapy dosing mid-treatment, a clinical dilemma that can increase the risk of death or extend the treatment duration, representing one of the most significant unmet needs in oncology supportive care.
The ACTiON study, led by Professor Marie Fallon at the University of Edinburgh, was awarded an Efficacy and Mechanism Evaluation (EME) grant, a non-dilutive award that carries independent scientific scrutiny before approval, by the NIHR.
Ananda manufactured the MRX1 investigational product in 2025 and delivered it to the University of Edinburgh central pharmacy on 6 June 2026, with the first patient receiving dosing around a week.
MRX1 is a CBD-based oral solution with a patent-pending formulation. Ananda completed its Phase 1 pharmacokinetic trial of MRX1 earlier this year, confirming a clean safety profile across 20 participants and supporting progression into Phase 2.
The ACTiON trial and the ENDOCAN trial, a parallel Phase 2 study evaluating MRX1 in endometriosis-associated pain, now run concurrently, giving Ananda two active late-stage clinical programmes in distinct pain indications.
“We are delighted to see the first patient dosed in the CIPN trial using our patent pending MRX1 formulation,” said Melissa Sturgess, Chief Executive Officer of Ananda Pharma. “This is gold standard work and we are honoured to be part of it.”
The ACTiON milestone continues a pivot Ananda accelerated last year when it exited an NIHR-funded epilepsy trial and withdrew from public markets to concentrate capital on MRX1’s pain pipeline.
Both ACTiON and ENDOCAN are now underway, putting the company in a position where Phase 2 readouts from two separate indications could emerge within a similar timeframe.
NIHR funding carries weight beyond its financial value in the UK context. The agency’s involvement signals that a research question has passed independent peer review and is considered scientifically sound and medically warranted.
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