Milestone for cannabinoid MS study

The CUPID (Cannabinoid Use in Progressive Inflammatory brain Disease) study at the Peninsula Medical School based in Plymouth, UK, has reached an important milestone with the news that the full cohort of 493 patients with multiple sclerosis has been recruited to the program.

CUPID is a clinical trial part-funded by the MS Society, which will evaluate whether tetrahydrocannabinol - the main active ingredient in the cannabis plant and one of many compounds found in the organism - is able to slow the progression of MS. It is an important study for people with MS, because current treatments either target the immune system in the early stages of MS, or ease specific symptoms such as muscle spasms or bladder problems.

This study follows an earlier study - Cannabinoids and Multiple Sclerosis (CAMS) - which established a link between THC and the slowing of MS. The CAMS trial saw participants take THC for a year; the CUPID trial will last for longer and aims to assess the affect of THC on progressive MS, says the Society