Cannabis trial to help osteoarthritis patients
A new research project into using synthetic cannabis gel to reduce the pain for people living with osteoarthritis of the knee is looking for volunteers from all over Australia.
USC is running a trial looking into whether synthetic cannabis gel can reduce pain of osteoarthritis of the knee
Eligible volunteers must be aged between 40 and 75 and have confirmed radiographic diagnosis, moderate to severe pain and no corticosteroid injections in previous weeks. In addition there must be no history of illicit drug use or arthritis.
Run by the University of the Sunshine Coast (USC), the trial involves applying the pharmaceutical-grade cannabidiol (CBD) to shoulders twice a day to see if regular applications can reduce the pain.
USC Centre director Lucas Litewka highlights new trials such as these are normally done in the US or Europe and it was quite rare to see trials such as these in Australia. “Australia is highly regarded as it has a high standard of healthcare and its doctors are some of the most skilled in the world,” he says.
Opened just this year, USC’s purpose built Clinical Trials Centre is also currently researching into pharmaceutical-grade medicinal cannabis to counter epilepsy and is hoping to tackle other health challenges including Alzheimer’s disease in the future.
