First large-scale clinical trials launched on rare cannabinoids

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Several new clinical trials will explore the health and wellness potential of rare cannabinoids including THCV, CBN, CBG, and CBC.

US health tech company, Radicle Science, has launched the first large-scale, blinded placebo-controlled clinical trials on rare cannabinoids, which are expected to get underway in 2022.

The trials will examine the effects of THCV, CBN, CBG, and CBC on energy, focus, appetite, sleep disturbance, pain, stress, and anxiety in 10,000 participants.

In 2021, Radicle Science conducted what is claimed to be the world’s largest randomised control trial (RCT) on CBD products and their effect on key health outcomes across five domains including general well-being, quality of life, sleep quality, pain, and feelings of stress and anxiety.

Radicle ACES (Advancing CBD Education and Science) is also history’s largest longitudinal RWE study to determine the effectiveness of botanical products containing CBD, including nearly 3,000 participants.

Initial findings indicated participants experienced a 71 per cent improvement in their well-being, on average, across all the products.

Many brands also underwent a Radicle Real World Sleep study (RRWS), an RCT which researched the effectiveness of orally ingestible CBD products for sleep. 

Researchers found that among participants with pre-existing sleep complaints, on average 65 per cent experienced a clinically meaningful improvement in their sleep quality after taking one of the CBD brands. 

In total over 2,000 participants from diverse geographical areas in the US participated across all of these RRWS studies, including 10 per cent from hard-to-reach rural and semi-rural populations typically not represented in clinical studies. 

Co-founder and CEO of Radicle Science, Dr. Jeff Chen, MD/MBA, said: “We are headed for exponential growth in 2022 as we prepare to study 10 times more people than we did in 2021.

“We aim to support our mission of creating a movement that redefines the research paradigm and enables evidence-based decision making across the health and wellness industry, starting with cannabinoids.”

The company is set to begin studying the effects of the less common cannabinoids in the first half of 2022.

Brands taking part in the upcoming trials include Columbia Care, Lord Jones, Open Book Extracts, Straight Hemp, Trokie®, and Wana Brands.

People from diverse backgrounds, demographics, and ages are encouraged to sign up to participate in the studies, the findings of which will be shared with consumers, regulators, manufacturers, and healthcare providers to help shape the future of cannabinoid clinical research.

Pelin Thorogood, co-founder and executive chair of Radicle Science, commented: “Our virtual, direct-to-consumer, crowdsourced approach enables Radicle Science to democratise access to rigorous studies, allowing us to serve diverse brands, from startups to multibillion dollar publicly traded companies.

“We are also proud to provide verified products and personalised health reports free of charge to thousands of individuals across the country who participate in our studies.”

For more industry news visit www.cannabiswealth.co.uk

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