Thailand
Pilot trial of THC-CBD oil for spinal cord injury spasticity yields mixed results
A double-blind crossover pilot study evaluated a balanced THC-CBD oil in sixteen patients with chronic spinal cord injuries. The treatment did not significantly improve objective muscle spasticity scores compared to a placebo. However, participants reported a significant reduction in subjective spasticity severity, though the small sample size and low dosing limit the generalisability of these findings.
- Objective muscle spasticity scores showed no significant difference between the active treatment and placebo groups.
- Patients reported a statistically significant reduction in subjective spasticity severity during the cannabinoid phase.
- The average daily dose administered during the trial was 11.6 mg of the balanced oil.
Our view
This trial was run in Thailand and registered with the Thai Clinical Trials Registry, and its handling of a mixed result is what makes it worth reading. The objective measure did not move; the patient-reported measure did. Rather than present that as a success, the authors record an average dose of 11.6 mg per day and call for studies above 12 mg of THC per day with patient-reported spasticity as the primary endpoint. That is the correct conclusion to draw from a sixteen-patient pilot, and it is the standard of design work Thailand is now in a position to carry out.
Sources
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