Sativex Satisfies Regulatory Hurdle, UK

Main Category: Multiple Sclerosis
Article Date: 25 Feb 2009 - 0:00 PDT

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The makers of cannabis-based treatment Sativex have today reported the results of a trial held to establish how effective the therapy is in people with multiple sclerosis (MS).

GW Pharmaceuticals were asked by the Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Authority (MHRA) to hold the withdrawal study, which evaluated 36 people with spasticity and who had previously been taking Sativex on prescription.

This group was divided into two, with one continuing to take Sativex, the other being given placebo.

Today's results show that in those people given placebo over four weeks, symptoms of spasticity worsened, but that there was no evidence of an adverse reaction to having the treatment withdrawn.

Dr Lee Dunster, Head of Research at the MS Society, said: "We know from our members that there is huge interest in how this drug performs in trials.

"These latest results satisfy a necessary hurdle with the drug regulators and we're looking forward to seeing data from the larger trial that will show how effective it is in greater numbers of people."

MS Society

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