Denmark: first clinical trial against epilepsy using medical cannabis

TheFiladelfia Epilepsy Hospital A company based in Dianalund, Denmark, has just launched its first clinical trial of medical cannabis for epilepsy. So far, the trial has been conducted on only one 18-year-old patient.

A First Step for the Danes

The Danish government has authorized the clinical trials involving cannabis a 4-year therapeutic program. Although the program was scheduled to begin in 2018, the’Filadelfia Epilepsy Hospital is taking the lead. The trial will involve 1,500 patients with epilepsy. «We’re conducting these trials because cannabis has been recognized in numerous scientific studies as a substance with calming effects,» says Helle Hjalgrim director of the’Filadelfia Epilepsy Hospital.

This initiative has the near-unanimous support of Danish citizens (88 %). However, some professionals consider this clinical trial to be too small-scale. According to Tina Horsted, who already prescribes medical cannabis, 50,000 patients could benefit from clinical trials for various conditions. She laments the lack of action at the national level and admits that she is overwhelmed by requests for cannabis prescriptions. «Patients suffering from chronic pain are fed up with morphine or opioid treatments and their side effects.»

Farmers are ready

Lars Hvidtfeld, vice president of the Danish Council for Agriculture and Food, states in the Copenhagen Post «We want to grow medical cannabis under controlled conditions; we are ready to supply patients through a legal channel.» Several Danish farmers have called for the creation of a commission responsible for the cultivation and regulation of medical cannabis. According to them, importing cannabis is an unnecessary expense when it can be produced locally. «We need to analyze the opportunities and risks that would arise from creating a cannabis industry similar to those in Canada, the U.S., or Israel.»

However, Denmark’s progressive stance on medical cannabis is hampered by several institutions. While doctors can write a prescription for foreign cannabis, the Agency for Danish Pharmaceutical Association and the Medical Association Danish health authorities do not recognize these treatments. The following are being questioned: side effects and the psychoactive compounds in cannabis.

via Sputniknews

Théo Caillart