Cannabinoids fail to show evidence of slowing down the progression of multiple sclerosis

Commentary on: Ball S, Vickery J, Hobart J, et al. The Cannabinoid Use in Progressive Inflammatory brain disease (CUPID) trial: a randomised double-blind placebo-controlled parallel-group multicentre trial and economic evaluation of cannabinoids to slow progression in multiple sclerosis. Health Technol Asess 2015;19:1–187. Context Despite the increasing number of effective disease modifying therapies for multiple sclerosis (MS), there are no effective therapies for the progressive, neurodegenerative phase of the disease. There is now abundant experimental evidence that cannabinoids and the endocannabinoid system are protective factors in animal models of MS and also other neurodegenerative conditions. This randomised controlled trial (RCT) aimed to investigate the potential neuroprotective properties of the prototypical cannabinoid 9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) as measured by the slowing of the progressive phase of MS, based on data from animal models of MS1 and also clinical findings from an earlier study by the same group investigating...
Source: Evidence-Based Medicine - Category: Internal Medicine Authors: Tags: Clinical trials (epidemiology), Editor's choice, Immunology (including allergy), Drugs: CNS (not psychiatric), Stroke, Dentistry and oral medicine Therapeutics/Prevention Source Type: research