The Murdoch Children's Research Institute is launching a pilot study to examine whether medicinal cannabis can alleviate symptoms in children and adolescents receiving palliative care for non-cancerous conditions.
The project has been awarded A$75,000 through the state government's Victorian Medical Research Acceleration Fund, with further backing from Cannatrek.
Headed by Murdoch Children's Associate Professor Daryl Efron, the study will assess the feasibility and acceptability of conducting a medicinal cannabis clinical trial aimed at relieving symptoms in young patients receiving palliative care for non-oncological conditions.
The study will recruit 10 participants between the ages of six months and 21 years who are enrolled in the Victorian Paediatric Palliative Care Program and are experiencing symptoms that diminish their quality of life. Recruitment is expected to begin later this year.
"The trial will evaluate the study design spanning recruitment strategy, medication tolerability, duration and outcomes to determine acceptability and feasibility for participating families and our research team," Efron said. "The data collected will then be used to design a full-scale multi-centre trial."
Children in palliative care commonly endure a broad range of debilitating symptoms — among them pain, irritability, gastrointestinal problems, seizures, spasticity and dystonia — all of which can substantially affect their well-being and day-to-day quality of life.
"These symptoms are difficult to control with currently prescribed medications, most of which cause significant side-effects," added Efron.
"Medicinal cannabis is a new therapy with great hope, but there is little evidence from clinical trials, particularly in children.
"In our experience, parents are interested in obtaining medicinal cannabis for their child's symptoms, but physicians are reluctant to prescribe it because of the lack of quality research.
"There is an urgent need for clinical trials to properly evaluate the role of medicinal cannabis for use in these highly vulnerable patients."
Approximately 70% of patients managed through the Victorian paediatric palliative care service have non-oncological diagnoses, including severe cerebral palsy, metabolic and genetic conditions, neurodegenerative disorders and progressive cardiac disease.
"If medicinal cannabis is shown to be effective it will represent an important treatment breakthrough for this patient group," Efron said.
The study forms part of a growing body of research at the institute examining medicinal cannabis for children living with intellectual disability, Tourette's Syndrome and other developmental conditions such as autism.
