{"id":29443,"date":"2024-01-22T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-01-22T09:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cannabishealthnews.co.uk\/?p=29443"},"modified":"2024-01-18T11:33:49","modified_gmt":"2024-01-18T11:33:49","slug":"uk-researchers-publish-first-findings-on-cannabis-and-long-covid","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cannabishealthnews.co.uk\/2024\/01\/22\/uk-researchers-publish-first-findings-on-cannabis-and-long-covid\/","title":{"rendered":"UK researchers publish first findings on cannabis and Long COVID"},"content":{"rendered":"
Researchers at Drug Science have published the findings from a world-first trial examining the potential of cannabis to manage the debilitating symptoms of Long Covid.<\/span><\/p>\n Long COVID, a condition characterised by persistent symptoms following a COVID-19 infection, continues to affect the lives of millions of people, presenting a significant challenge for both patients and healthcare providers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n According to the <\/span>Office for National Statistics (ONS),<\/span><\/a> an estimated 2 million people in the UK were experiencing self-reported Long COVID in January 2023, with symptoms found to adversely affect the day-to-day activities of 1.5 million of those.<\/span><\/p>\n Many of the symptoms, including fatigue, <\/span>difficulty concentrating and pain, as well as sleep disturbances, <\/span>anxiety<\/span><\/a> and depression, also occur in other conditions that can be managed with cannabis-based medicines.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n A review<\/a> of the existing research published by the same researchers at Drug Science last year identified \u2018multiple lines of evidence\u2019 to support the use of cannabis-based medicines in Long COVID.<\/span><\/p>\n The preliminary study, which was sponsored by Australian pharmaceutical company, Bod Healthcare, investigated the safety and tolerability of its MediCabilis 5% CBD Oil, a full-spectrum cannabidiol (CBD)-dominant cannabis-based medicinal product (CBMP), in treating Long COVID symptoms.<\/span><\/p>\n A 21-week single-arm open-label feasibility trial was conducted in 12 participants diagnosed with Long COVID. Participants received up to 3 mL of MediCabilis 5% CBD Oil per day for up to 5 months, followed by a dose reduction in the final month.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Questionnaires assessing aspects of health and daily self-reports of symptoms were collected via the Eva app from <\/span>Research Smart (previously Alta Flora)<\/span><\/a>. A Fitbit was also used to record key physiological measures such as heart rate, activity, sleep, and oxygen saturation.<\/span><\/p>\n According to the findings, no participants reported any serious adverse events, with the drug demonstrating safety and good tolerability.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n This preliminary study suggests that CBD-dominant CBMPs are safe and well-tolerated in individuals diagnosed with Long COVID.<\/span><\/p>\n