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UK: MRC Funds Further Research to Look into Cannabis-Based Medicines' Role in MS Treatment
Medical News Today Tuesday 24 May 2005 A trial to determine whether cannabis-based medicines can reduce disability in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) has been funded by the Medical Research Council, UK, (MRC). The MRC has awarded UKP2 million to fund the CUPID study (Cannabinoid Use in Progressive Inflammatory brain Disease) which will be led by Professor John Zajicek of the Peninsula Medical School and Derriford Hospital, in collaboration with Professor Alan Thompson at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery (part of University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust) and Institute of Neurology, University College London. The three-year CUPID study, which is due to begin later this year, will recruit 500 patients with progressive MS from neurology centres across the UK. The trial will evaluate whether the principal active compound found in cannabis, delta9-THC, might slow the development of disability. The research will follow on from a previous trial carried out by the same team, called Cannabinoids in MS (CAMS), which focused on testing the symptomatic benefit from cannabinoids over a 15-week and 12-month period. Whilst the CAMS study was taking place, experimental evidence came to light to suggest that delta9-THC, a drug that was being used in the CAMS study, may have the potential to protect nerve cells. In light of this evidence, the research team paid particular attention to the influence of delta9-THC while looking at the CAMS results. Preliminary evidence was found to suggest that this compound had some effect on muscle stiffness scores and measures of disability in patients on the CAMS trial who took their medication for up to 12 months, but not those who stopped medication at 15 weeks. As CAMS was a very short trial, it is hoped that, by studying patients on the CUPID trial for a longer three-year period, delta9-THC's value in treating MS may become clearer. Professor John Zajicek of the Peninsula Medical School said: "Currently very few medicines are effective in treating MS and none have been shown to have any effect in the later stages of the disease. If the CUPID study demonstrates that cannabinoids do have a longer term effect on the progression of disability, there are potentially far-reaching implications, not only for the health of people with MS, but also for those with other neurodegenerative conditions." MS is a chronic disease of the nervous system and is the result of damage to myelin - a protective sheath surrounding nerve fibres of the central nervous system. When myelin is damaged, this interferes with messages between the brain and other parts of the body. More progressive forms of MS are thought to result from damage to nerve fibres. MS can affect any part of the central nervous system, often causing difficulties with walking, vision, sensation and balance. The Medical Research Council (MRC) is a national organisation funded by the UK tax-payer. Its business is medical research aimed at improving human health; everyone stands to benefit from the outputs. The research it supports and the scientists it trains meet the needs of the health services, the pharmaceutical and other health-related industries and the academic world. MRC has funded work which has led to some of the most significant discoveries and achievements in medicine in the UK. About half of the MRC's expenditure of approximately UKP500 million is invested in its 40 Institutes, Units and Centres. The remaining half goes in the form of grant support and training awards to individuals and teams in universities and medical schools. Web site at: http://www.mrc.ac.uk. Peninsula Medical School is a joint School of the Universities of Exeter and Plymouth and admitted its first cohort of undergraduates in 2002. Research that maps NHS needs and priorities is a vital part of the School's activities. For more information visit http://www.pms.ac.uk The Peninsula Postgraduate Health Institute (PPHI) is a partnership between Peninsula Medical School, The University of Exeter and the Faculty of Health and Social Work at the University of Plymouth. PPHI is committed to providing a multi-professional learning environment for health and social care education in the South West. For more information visit www.pphi.ac.uk
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