A new study on CBD to treat Parkinson’s to be led by King’s College London will begin in the new year in the United Kingdom
King’s College London will begin a study on CBD to treat Parkinson’s in order to see if this cannabinoid found in the cannabis plant can treat the distressing symptoms of the disease.
Clinical trials will explore the effect of CBD on the symptoms of Parkinson’s-related psychosis, including hallucinations and delusions. There are about 145,000 Parkinson’s patients in the United Kingdom and half are affected by psychosis at some point in the disease. The study, funded by “Parkinson in the United Kingdom” and directed by King’s College London, will begin next year.
Parkinson’s UK, the largest charitable funder of Parkinson’s research in Europe, is partnering with scientists at King’s College London and investing £1.2 million in the clinical trial.
Medical and legal study on CBD
The first thing is to determine the ideal dose of CBD to treat Parkinson’s. After this phase, 120 patients will be chosen. Half of them will be given CBD capsules and the rest will be treated with a placebo. Subsequently, the team of researchers will do detailed tests and take brain images to investigate the effects of CBD to treat Parkinson’s. Dr. Arthur Roach, research director of the charity, has told the media that there are still many unanswered questions about the value of CBD for people with Parkinson’s and that the clinical trial will be helpful in determining whether CBD can help with the debilitating symptoms of hallucinations and delusions.
He also said that if the clinical trial is successful, it could result in people with Parkinson’s being able to access a regulated medication, rather than expensive and unregulated treatments that have not been monitored to determine its effectiveness.
Professor Sagnik Bhattacharya, who is the principal investigator of the project, said that current treatments for psychosis can worsen Parkinson’s symptoms and that, therefore, the study will also analyze the effect of CBD on other symptoms that will pave the way for Scientists investigate the potential of CBD to treat Parkinson’s. Sagnik Bhattacharya expressed confidence that the study will serve to start new large-scale clinical trials and that CBD to treat Parkinson’s become a new treatment that will improve the lives of people with this terrible disease.
