United Kingdom-based biopharmaceutical company CBD Science Group has earned a highly sought-after endorsement from Britain’s National Cancer Research Institute (NCRI). The institute’s Living With and Beyond Cancer (LWBC) Executive Group endorsed CBD Science Group’s real-world evidence (RWE) study into the role that cannabinoids can play in treating cancer related pain.
CBD Science Group is enabling accelerated access to treatment through a pragmatic RWE, peer-reviewed clinical trial. The trial aims to quickly deliver approved therapies to patients nationally with trial protocols already developed and patient recruitment underway ahead of a start date in Q2 2022.
“We are delighted and proud to have been offered this endorsement from the NCRI LWBC, which offers hope to millions of people with long term cancer pain around the world,” said CBD Science Group Chief Commercial Officer Graeme McFarlane. “This partnership will further progress CBD Science Group towards our objective of realizing the advantages of cannabinoids in fulfilling this urgent need of suffering patients.”
The company has appointed a distinguished clinical advisory board under the direction of Dr. Mike Bewick, the group’s chief clinical adviser and former deputy medical director of NHS England, along with other leading experts in the space, including NCRI Living With and Beyond Cancer Research Group Co-chair Dr. Sam Ahmedzai.
“Sadly, current pain treatment options are largely ineffective or cause even more harmful side effects; therefore, new research is urgently needed to find better therapies,” explained Ahmedzai. “I am delighted to actively participate in CBD Science Group’s goal of finding an effective and safer medicinal cannabis solution to relieve the suffering of patients living with cancer-related pain.”
The NICE guidelines on medical cannabis found that previous evidence for chronic pain associated with cancer patients was lacking, rendering research into the use of cannabinoids as an alternative pain medicine hugely timely.
Opioid Alternative
Also, given the lack of evidence proving effectiveness and significant evidence showing potential long-term harm caused by opioids, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has recommended against opioid use for people with chronic primary pain and are actively encouraging research into alternative solutions.
In addition to this, the continued fallout from COVID-19 is concerning oncologists and clinicians across the U.K. It has been reported that the U.K. is experiencing an emerging cancer crisis after new figures recently showed more than 300,000 people had missed checks for the disease since the start of the pandemic. The fear that more patients than ever are going untreated for their cancer and opioid prescriptions will continue to skyrocket as suitable alternatives are still unavailable through the NHS.
In the U.K. there are an estimated 3 million patients suffering from cancer with 367,000 new diagnoses per year. Of that population, doctors estimate that pain prevalence affects 39.3% after curative treatment; 55.0% during anticancer treatment; and 66.4% in advanced, metastatic or terminal disease.
With millions of patients going untreated for cancer related pain, it is clear that proving cannabis-based medicines as an alternative for successful pain treatments is needed as a matter of urgency. The development of these therapies will give hope to cancer patients worldwide as the treatment and management of cancer pain continues to be a major burden on patients and families.
