#MSBlog: Cannabis extract just misses out on central pain effect in MS!
Background: Central neuropathic pain (CNP) occurs in MSer. The provision of adequate pain relief to these MSers can very difficult.
Objective: To report the first phase III placebo-controlled study of the efficacy of the endocannabinoid system modulator delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)/cannabidiol (CBD) oromucosal spray (USAN name, nabiximols; Sativex, GW Pharmaceuticals, Salisbury, Wiltshire, UK), to alleviate CNP.
Methods: MSers who had failed to gain adequate analgesia from existing medication were treated with THC/CBD spray or placebo as an add-on treatment, in a double-blind manner, for 14 weeks to investigate the efficacy of the medication in MS-induced neuropathic pain. This parallel-group phase of the study was then followed by an 18-week randomized-withdrawal study (14-week open-label treatment period plus a double-blind 4-week randomized-withdrawal phase) to investigate time to treatment failure and show maintenance of efficacy. A total of 339 MSers were randomized to phase A (167 received THC/CBD spray and 172 received placebo). Of those who completed phase A, 58 entered the randomized-withdrawal phase.
Results: The primary endpoint of responder analysis at the 30 % level at week 14 of phase A of the study was not met, with 50 % of MSers on THC/CBD spray classed as responders at the 30 % level compared to 45 % of MSers on placebo (p = 0.234). However, an interim analysis at week 10 showed a statistically significant treatment difference in favor of THC/CBD spray at this time point (p = 0.046). During the randomized-withdrawal phase, the primary endpoint of time to treatment failure was statistically significant in favor of THC/CBD spray, with 57 % of MSers receiving placebo failing treatment versus 24 % of patients from the THC/CBD spray group (p = 0.04). The mean change from baseline in Pain Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) (p = 0.028) and sleep quality NRS (p = 0.015) scores, both secondary endpoints in phase B, were also statistically significant compared to placebo, with estimated treatment differences of -0.79 and 0.99 points, respectively, in favor of THC/CBD spray treatment.
Conclusion: The results of the current investigation were equivocal, with conflicting findings in the two phases of the study. While there were a large proportion of responders to THC/CBD spray treatment during the phase A double-blind period, the primary endpoint was not met due to a similarly large number of placebo responders. In contrast, there was a marked effect in phase B of the study, with an increased time to treatment failure in the THC/CBD spray group compared to placebo. These findings suggest that further studies are required to explore the full potential of THC/CBD spray in these MSers.
"This study shows how hard it can be to do symptomatic trials. The aim of this study was to try and find a responder group of MSers and to then test the drug to see if it reduced pain. MSers with chronic myelopathic pain will find these results disappointing a large number of MSers use street cannabis for pain were hoping to be able to access a legal medicinal product for their pain."
CoI: Multiple
"This study shows how hard it can be to do symptomatic trials. The aim of this study was to try and find a responder group of MSers and to then test the drug to see if it reduced pain. MSers with chronic myelopathic pain will find these results disappointing a large number of MSers use street cannabis for pain were hoping to be able to access a legal medicinal product for their pain."
CoI: Multiple