Pot-Based Drug Promising for Arthritis

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Pot-Based Drug Promising for Arthritis

Spray Shows Benefits for Rheumatoid Arthritis in Small British Study

By Miranda Hitti

WebMD Medical News Reviewed By Louise Chang, MD

on Tuesday, November 08, 2005

Nov. 8, 2005 - A spray containing two chemicals extracted from

marijuana improved pain and sleep in rheumatoid arthritis (RA)

patients, British researchers report.

The study, which appears in Rheumatology, was small, brief, and likely

the first of its kind, note the researchers. They write that the

" encouraging " results warrant larger, longer studies.

The spray, called Sativex, is made by GW Pharmaceuticals, the British

drug company that funded the study. It is sprayed into the mouth and

the medication is absorbed under the tongue or the inside part of the

cheek.

One of the researchers is GW Pharmaceuticals' medical director. Two

others disclose having received honoraria from GW Pharmaceuticals.

Spray Study

The study included 58 RA patients. They had no history of psychiatric

disorders, substance misuse, epilepsy, or severe heart, kidney, or

liver problems.

First, patients rated their pain at rest, during movement, and first

thing in the morning. They also rated their quality of sleep.

Next, the patients were given one of two sprays to use every evening

for about a month. Sativex was one of those sprays. The other was an

empty spray (placebo).

Sativex was given to 31 patients. The other 27 patients got the

placebo. No one knew which patients had gotten Sativex.

Sativex contains THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol) and CBD

(cannabidiol). Those are key therapeutic compounds in cannabis that

have been shown by other studies to produce effects on pain and

inflammationhave been shown by other studies to produce effects on pain

and inflammation, write the researchers.

They included rheumatologist R. Blake of the Royal National

Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases in Bath, England.

Study's Results

Compared with the placebo group, patients taking Sativex had notable

improvements in pain (including pain during movement and pain at rest),

sleep quality, and RA disease activity, the researchers report.

Morning pain didn't change much but was " surprisingly low " to begin

with, write Blake and colleagues.

The sprays were only used in the evening to minimize any intoxication.

The most common side effects with Sativex were dizziness (eight

patients, or 26% of the Sativex group), dry mouth (four patients, or

13%), and lightheadedness (three patients, or 10% of those taking

Sativex).

SOURCES: Blake, D. Rheumatology, Nov. 9, 2005, online edition. News

release, Rheumatology.

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