Women's health researcher Associate Professor Mike Armour and 2024 Prescribing Healthcare Practitioner of the Year Dr Orit Holtzman are seeking patients to enrol in several medicinal cannabis clinical trials targeting health conditions that have long been under-researched.
Three clinical trials underway at the National Institute of Complementary Medicine (NICM) Health Research Institute are investigating potential new treatments for primary dysmenorrhea (period pain), endometriosis and diabetic peripheral neuropathy — conditions for which existing therapies frequently fall short.
Associate Professor Armour, who holds the position of Director of Research at the Institute, and NICM Fellow Dr Holtzman are currently enrolling participants who live with these conditions.
Armour said conditions such as period pain and endometriosis have historically been under-studied, leaving patients without adequate treatment options.
"NICM is working to try and redress at least some of this imbalance," he said.
"Period pain affects around nine out of 10 young women in Australia, but despite this there has been a lack of new treatments, even though around half of young women report they only get partial relief from something like ibuprofen.
"Similarly, those with endometriosis often report they are unhappy with their current treatment because it doesn't adequately reduce their symptoms, leading to significant reductions in quality of life, including impacting their studies, work and personal relationships."
Armour said his team is hopeful that medicinal cannabis could prove an effective option for both conditions. The primary dysmenorrhea trial is open to people in Australia aged over 20 who experience regular period pain, while the endometriosis study requires participants to be aged over 18 with a confirmed diagnosis.
Dr Holtzman described diabetic peripheral neuropathy as a complication arising from uncontrolled or long-term diabetes, involving damage to the peripheral nervous system.
"Neuropathic pain is a frequent, debilitating manifestation of diabetic peripheral neuropathy, referred to as diabetic peripheral neuropathic pain (DPNP)," she said.
"DPNP affects daily functioning and sleep, often results in anxiety and depression, and is associated with diminished quality of life.
"Management of DPNP is challenging and the pain often does not respond adequately to the currently available medication. Medicinal cannabis may offer relief to people who have not been helped by those medications."
The DPNP study is an international randomised controlled trial sponsored by Syqe, whose technology delivers medicinal cannabis through inhalation via a TGA-approved medical device.
Further information about all three studies is available at the links below:
NICM HRI | Medicinal cannabis for primary dysmenorrhea (period pain)
NICM HRI | EndoCann Study
https://www.westernsydney.edu.au/nicm/research/clinical_trials/dpnpstudy
