CannTrust, Hamilton Health Sciences and McMaster University have partnered on a slew of upcoming medical research studies exploring medicinal uses of cannabis.
The first clinical trial – Cannabis Oil for Chronic Non-Cancer Pain Treatment (CONCEPT) – is expected to begin this fall, with additional studies to follow.
“Hamilton Health Sciences and McMaster are known world-wide for innovation in education and research, and for its role in developing evidence-based medicine,” a release notes. “This partnership strengthens CannTrust’s existing commitment to innovation and its contribution to generating evidence regarding the therapeutic use and clinical effectiveness of cannabinoids.”
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An analysis of CannTrust’s 48,000 existing customer profiles indicates that pain is one of the primary reasons for utilizing medical cannabis, highlighting the need for trials in this area.
Through research at the Centre, CannTrust aims to help healthcare professionals and patients better understand the possible benefits of medical cannabis for those living with pain-related conditions, and beyond.
“We are honoured to begin this partnership as our organizations share very similar values,” said Eric Paul, CEO of CannTrust. “Also, it further advances our participation in research, innovation and customer education. We feel privileged by the role CannTrust can play in supporting these world-class researchers advance the understanding of medical cannabis.”
CannTrust will be working with the Michael G. DeGroote Pain Clinic of Hamilton Health Sciences and McMaster University, and the Michael G. DeGroote Institute for Pain Research and Care of McMaster University on the range of upcoming randomized placebo controlled clinical trials.
The companies say the results of these studies “will be crucial for researchers, health care practitioners and policy makers to use cannabinoids for designing more effective, safer treatment protocols and public health policies.”
Dr, Ramesh Zacharias is Assistant Clinical Professor at McMaster University, and Medical Director of the Michael G. DeGroote Pain Clinic in addition to being the Principal Investigator in CONCEPT.
Zacharias said CannTrust is “an excellent partner for our research due to its consistent quality, standardized products and scientific approach. For research studies, we demand this same precision and attention to detail, so we appreciate that CannTrust is supporting the critical work conducted by our Centre.”
Earlier in July, CannTrust announced an ALS clinical trial with Australia’s Gold Coast University Hospital.
The company says it is committed to supporting “research and innovation to develop safe and effective cannabinoid dosage forms. CannTrust is currently in discussions with other scientific partners on upcoming research projects.”
