An Australian company will start clinical trials to test its cannabis medicine to cure long-term impact of COVID-19, commonly referred to as long-COVlD.
Long-COVlD refers to extended effects in some cases such as chronic pain, anxiety, sleep disturbances and fatigue following a COVID-19 infection.
Medicinal cannabis and hemp healthcare products company Bod Australia Limited has secured clinical trial authorisation from the United Kingdom’s Medicines & Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency to commence an open-label clinical trial in association with Drug Science UK to explore the effectiveness of Bod’s medicinal cannabis product MediCabilis on symptoms associated with long-COVlD..
Six-month clinical trial will be undertaken in collaboration with the UK’s leading independent scientific body on drugs, Drug Science UK.
Bod’s medicinal cannabis product MediCablis is currently prescribed to patients with conditions including chronic pain, anxiety and sleep disorders.
The news comes days after a study found that compounds present in hemp can prevent the virus that causes COVID-19 from entering human cells.
Not related to Bod Australia’s trials, the study, Cannabinoids Block Cellular Entry of SARS-CoV-2 and the Emerging Variants, was published in the Journal of Natural Products.
According to the study, acids found in hemp can be used to prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection as well as to shorten the course of COVID-19 infections by preventing virus particles from infecting human cells.
However, both these developments — the research and authorisation for trials of Bod Australia’s cannabis products — should not enthuse cannabis users because it may take months just to find out if medicine based on cannabis can actually be an effective prevention against COVID-19 or a cure for long COVID.
There is no scientific basis yet to believe that consuming or using cannabis in any form can prevent or cure COVID-19.
Comments
NOTE: The North Shore Daily Post welcomes your opinions and comments. We do not allow personal attacks, offensive language or unsubstantiated allegations. We reserve the right to edit comments for length, style, legality and taste and reproduce them in print, electronic or otherwise. For further information, please contact the editor or publisher, or see our Terms and Conditions.