Tilray to Study Cannabis for Breast Cancer Treatment Side Effects

[dropcap class=”kp-dropcap”]T[/dropcap]ilray Inc. has announced it has successfully imported medical cannabis into the United States from Canada in support of a new clinical trial to study the efficacy in treating patients for disorders caused by breast cancer. Previous studies have suggested that cannabis could be used to reduce growth in cancer cells.

The study will focus on patients suffering from taxane-induced peripheral neuropathy, or TIPN, secondary to treatment with paclitaxel or docetaxel. TIPN affects more than 67 percent of women undergoing breast cancer treatment, which causes some patients to shorten their course of treatment. It will be the first human study to examine the effects of medical cannabis on those who suffer from TIPN.

The clinical trial will be a randomized placebo-controlled study in which half of the participants will receive an investigational product containing a combination of both THC and CBD and the other half will receive a product with no cannabinoids. Participants will be treated two times a day for eight weeks.

“There is a critical need for randomized controlled clinical studies to test the efficacy of cannabis in patients. There is exciting preclinical evidence showing that THC and CBD significantly reduce TIPN, and our study will be the first to test this in a well powered clinical trial,” said Margaret Haney , Ph.D., Professor of Neurobiology (in Psychiatry) at Columbia University Irving Medical Center (CUIMC).

Tilray has previously supported medical trials across Canada, the United States and Australia that researched the use of medical cannabis to treat pediatric epilepsy, essential tremor, PTSD and alcohol abuse.

“Tilray is committed to advancing cannabis research through its support of clinical trials around the world as we continue to enhance our understanding of the potential benefits of medical cannabis,” said Philippe Lucas, vice president of global patient research and access.