Tilray Medical, a subsidiary of Tilray Brands, Inc. (Nasdaq: TLRY) (TSX: TLRY), will be supplying cannabis extract for a new clinical trial in Spain aimed at combatting a severe form of brain cancer.
On Monday, the major cannabis company announced its sponsorship of the upcoming study on glioblastoma. The clinical trial will be conducted at the University Hospital 12 de Octubre in Madrid by scientists from the Spanish Neuro-Oncology Research Group (GEINO) and the Complutense University of Madrid.
The trial will recruit 30 newly diagnosed patients from eight specialized neuro-oncology sites in Spain. It will examine the impact of Tilray Medical’s THC and CBD extract T10:C10 in combination with the orally administered drug temozolomide and radiation therapy.
“This groundbreaking trial is more than an opportunity for Tilray to engage in medical research; it’s a beacon of hope for patients suffering from glioblastoma,” said Tilray’s Chief Strategy Officer Denise Faltischek.
The study will be led by GEINO’s neurologist Dr. Juan Manuel Sepúlveda Sánchez and it is being funded by the charity Medical Cannabis Bike Tour Foundation (MCBTF), which is based in Amsterdam.
Madrid.-El Hospital 12 de octubre inicia un ensayo clínico para tratar un tipo de tumor cerebral con cannabis medicinal https://t.co/XAWS3ytIRI #CannabisMedicinal #Cáncer #Investigación
— Sociedad Española del Dolor (@Sedolor) October 11, 2023
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Cannabis and its derivatives have long been known to be beneficial for cancer patients
Tilray says this study is the culmination of a 10-year civil society collaboration between the scientific sector and the medical cannabis community.
“Biological evidence has been accumulating for more than 15 years that cannabinoids have anti-tumor activity in the most aggressive brain tumors, glioblastomas,” said Sánchez.
“However, no clinical trials have been conducted to prove this hypothesis in patients. With this clinical trial, we can finally study the effect of cannabinoids on tumors that have not received active treatment,” he added.
The MCBTF began raising funds to support researchers at the Complutense University of Madrid a decade ago who were studying the potential of cannabinoids for the treatment of cancer cells and glioblastoma.
“The fact that the Medical Cannabis Bike Tour can now independently fund a clinical trial in the name of science is amazing, thanks to the sponsors and riders who made it happen. We hope this trial will reflect the hope illuminated by the scientific research for the participants involved,” said the charity’s Founder Luc Krol.
In May this year, Tilray Medical supported Italy’s cancer and patient care conference ONCOWELLNESS, which was accredited by the country’s Ministry of Health.
A study from University of Colorado Boulder in April this year found that cannabis can significantly improve sleep, relieve pain and enhance mental clarity in cancer patients.
Recent surveys have found that between 22-40 per cent of cancer patients will use cannabis for purposes such as managing pain and anxiety, according to an article last year in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
Mugglehead reached out for information about when the trial was expected to begin and will update this article accordingly.
Tilray shares have steadily dropped by over 40 per cent in the past year and are currently worth $2.77 on the Toronto Stock Exchange.
rowan@mugglehead.com
