Expert opinion on biological therapy
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Expert Opin Biol Ther · Nov 2012
ReviewNabiximols in the treatment of spasticity, pain and urinary symptoms due to multiple sclerosis.
Over the last two decades, experimental and clinical data suggest a therapeutic benefit of cannabis-based medicines for a variety of multiple sclerosis (MS) symptoms. Clinical trials, both with synthetic or plant-derived cannabinoids, have demonstrated clinical efficacy of cannabinoids for the treatment of spasticity, neuropathic pain and bladder dysfunction. Nabiximols, a 1:1 mix of delta-9-tetrahydrocanabinol and cannabidiol extract from cloned chemovars, was licensed in the UK in 2010 and has also been approved in other European countries and Canada. The European Federation of Neurological Societies recommends that cannabis should be used only as a second or third line treatment in central neuropathic pain. ⋯ Despite a number of trials with very promising results, there are still concerns related to relative paucity of data on long-term safety. Also, the long-term efficacy information in terms of the control of symptoms of a disease in which the natural history is progression is sparse. Therefore, further studies are required to improve the current knowledge of nabiximols.