Crohn's Disease, Ulcerative Colitis
Conditions
Keywords
crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, cannabis, cannabidiol
Brief summary
There are many anecdotal reports about improvement of Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) with cannabis smoking. The most effective anti inflammatory compound known today is cannabidiol. cannabidiol can be extracted from the cannabis plant, it has no central effect and is fat soluble so it can be given as drops in oil. Doses of up to 500mg did not cause any side effects. The aim of the proposed study is to examine in a double blind placebo controlled fashion the effect of cannabidiol on disease activity in patients with IBD.
Detailed description
Background: Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) are relatively common disease with a rising incidence. Treatment includes various immunocompromising agents including corticosteroids, immunomodulators and biologic agents. Current treatment is not always effective and has many side effect. Cannabinoids have been known to have anti inflammatory effect, probably via the CB2 receptor. There are many anecdotal reports of cannabinoids in inflammatory disease such as rheumatoid arthritis, and the impression is that cannabinoids do have an ameliorating effect on IBD and that side effects are negligible. However, there are no placebo controled trials in human subjects. The cannabis plant contains about 600 ingredients, and it is not known which are the active ingredients affecting IBD. The most effective anti inflammatory compound known today is cannabidiol. Cannabidiol can be extracted from the cannabis plant, it has no central effect and is fat soluble so it can be given as drops in oil. Doses of up to 500mg did not cause any side effects. The aim of the proposed study is to examine in a double blind placebo controlled fashion the effect of cannabidiol on disease activity in patients with IBD.
Interventions
DRUGcannabidiol
cannabidiol given in olive oil drops, 5 mg twice daily
DRUGplacebo in drops
olive oil containing no drug given in drops twice daily
Sponsors
Meir Medical Center
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
TRIPLE (Subject, Caregiver, Investigator)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
20 Years to 80 Years
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
1. Patients with a diagnosis IBD at least 3 months before recruitment will be eligible to the study. 2. Patients with active disease who are resistant to either 5 ASA, steroids or immunomodulators, or who can not receive those drugs due to adverse reactions will be offered the possibility of receiving cannabidiol at a dose of 10 mg in sub lingual drops or drops of olive oil as placebo. 3. Disease activity index of either CDAI of more then 200 in Crohn's disease or Mayo score above 3 in UC. 4. Age above 20.
Exclusion criteria
1. Patients with a known mental disorder 2. Patients who are deemed to be at a high risk of abuse or addiction to the study drug. 3. Pregnant women 4. Patients who are sensitive to any of the ingredients of the study medication. 5. Patients who are unable to give informed consent. 6. Patients who may need surgery in the near future.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| reduction of 70 points in CDAI | 8 weeks |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| change in quality of life during the study | 8 weeks |
| any adverse events during study period | 8 weeks |
Countries
Israel
Outcome results
None listed