Cannabis drug and back pain: An experimental medication derived from cannabis significantly reduced chronic low-back pain in a randomised study of roughly 800 adults, adding to evidence that marijuana compounds may help treat one of the most common forms of persistent pain.
The trial, led by researchers in Germany with collaborators in Europe, the US and the U.K., tested a proprietary liquid extract from drugmaker Vertanical and found greater pain reduction versus placebo over 12 weeks, with additional gains during a six-month extension. Results were published Monday in Nature.
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Participants assigned to Vertanical’s formulation reported an average pain decrease of nearly 2 points on an 11-point scale, compared with 1.4 points for placebo, a statistically significant difference. Patients on the active drug also reported better sleep and improved physical function. Side effects, most commonly dizziness, headache, fatigue and nausea, led to early discontinuation in just over 17% of patients, which researchers said is below typical dropout rates seen with opioids.
Unlike Epidiolex, the FDA-approved cannabidiol (CBD) product for rare childhood epilepsies, Vertanical’s extract contains very low, essentially microdose, levels of THC, the psychoactive component of cannabis. The company reported no signals of abuse, dependence or withdrawal in the study. Driving was not recommended during the first weeks of therapy, though the decision was left to patients.
The findings arrive as chronic pain remains a leading reason people enrol in state medical-cannabis programs in the US, even as marijuana stays illegal at the federal level. Health agencies in parts of Canada and Europe already allow certain pharmaceutical-grade cannabis products for pain, including neuropathic pain in multiple sclerosis. Standard options for chronic low-back pain are limited: long-term NSAID use is constrained by gastrointestinal risks, and routine opioid therapy is discouraged due to addiction and other harms.
Lead author Dr Matthias Karst of Hannover Medical School said the data indicate cannabis “can significantly reduce pain and improve physical function in patients with chronic low-back pain, without the safety concerns commonly associated with opioids.” Vertanical has submitted its drug for review by European regulators and is working with US authorities on a trial design to support potential FDA approval.
