Insufficient safety and risk/benefit data
There are a number of cannabis preparations used in the treatment of chronic neuropathic pain and spasticity, however only one product is approved by regulatory authorities in Europe and Canada. There is insufficient knowledge of the safety/risk profile of these other products.
Abstract
Products derived from the plant Cannabis sativa are widely appreciated for their analgesic properties and are employed for the treatment of chronic neuropathic pain. Only nabiximols, a product composed of two extracts containing similar percentages of the two cannabinoids cannabidiol and delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, is approved by regulatory authorities for neuropathic pain and spasticity due to multiple sclerosis in many European countries and Canada. It is also included in pharmacovigilance systems monitoring the occurrence of adverse drug reactions. However, it is not the same for the great variety of other cannabis preparations widely used for medical purposes.
This creates a situation characterized by insufficient knowledge of the safety of cannabis preparations and the impossibility of establishing a correct risk–benefit profile for their medical use in the treatment of chronic neuropathic pain.
With the aim to explore this issue more deeply, we collected data from published clinical studies reporting on adverse reactions from the use of cannabis for neuropathic relief.
SOURCE: Molecules. 2021 Oct; 26(20): 6257. Published online 2021 Oct 16. doi: 10.3390/molecules26206257 PMID: 34684842
Safety of Medical Cannabis in Neuropathic Chronic Pain Management
Alessandra Bennici,1 Carmen Mannucci,2 Fabrizio Calapai,3 Luigi Cardia,4 Ilaria Ammendolia,4 Sebastiano Gangemi,1 Gioacchino Calapai,2,* and Daniel Griscti Soler1
1. Operative Unit and School of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Messina, 98125 Messina, Italy;
2. Department of Biomedical and Dental Sciences and Morphological and Functional Imaging, University of Messina, 98125 Messina, Italy;
3. Department of Chemical, Biological, Pharmaceutical and Environmental Sciences, University of Messina, 98125 Messina, Italy;
4. Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Messina, 98125 Messina, Italy.