The study will involve 10 participants, aged six months to 21 years, who are receiving care in the Victorian Pediatric Palliative Care Program, and have symptoms that are affecting their quality of life. Recruitment for the trial will start later this year.
“The trial will evaluate the study design spanning recruitment strategy, medication tolerability, duration and outcomes to determine acceptability and feasibility for participating families and our research team,” Associate Professor Efron said. The data collected will then be used to design a full-scale multi-centre trial.”
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Associate Professor Efron said pediatric patients undergoing palliative care experience a range of debilitating symptoms that have a significant impact on well-being and quality of life including pain, irritability, gastrointestinal symptoms, seizures, spasticity and dystonia.
“These symptoms are difficult to control with currently prescribed medications, most of which cause significant side-effects,” he said.
“There is an urgent need for clinical trials to properly evaluate the role of medicinal cannabis for use in these highly vulnerable patients.”
About 70 percent of patients managed by the Victorian pediatric palliative care service have non-oncological conditions including severe cerebral palsy, metabolic and genetic conditions, neurodegenerative disorders and progressive cardiac disease.
“If medicinal cannabis is shown to be effective it will represent an important treatment breakthrough for this patient group,” Associate Professor Efron said.
The study is part of an emerging program of research at the Murdoch Children’s into medicinal cannabis for children with an intellectual disability, Tourette Syndrome and other developmental conditions such as autism.
The trial is among 21 projects to receive a recent VMRAF grant, which supports both early-stage research and projects that are ready for commercialization.
Minister Pulford said investing in local research keeps Melbourne among the best in the world for advancing medical breakthroughs.
“Future treatments and possible cures would not be possible unless we back the scientists and clinicians who work tirelessly to make an impact to the health of all Victorians,” she said.
Source: Eurekalert
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