Cannabis extract reduces chronic low back pain in a large trial

An experimental, pharmaceutical-grade cannabis extract developed by the German company Vertanical reduced chronic low back pain in a randomized trial of roughly 800 adults, researchers reported Monday, offering a potential new option for a condition that affects millions worldwide. Patients who received the liquid cannabis formulation reported larger declines in pain over 12 weeks than those given a placebo, and those who continued in a six-month extension sustained further improvements in pain, sleep and physical function, the investigators said.

In the trial, participants who had not obtained adequate relief from nonopioid medicines were randomly assigned to the cannabis extract or a placebo. At 12 weeks, people taking the medication reported an almost 2-point decline on an 11-point pain scale compared with about a 1.4-point decline among placebo patients. Those who remained on the treatment during the extension phase experienced ongoing reductions in pain and reported better sleep and physical functioning. The results were published in the journal Nature.

Lead study author Dr. Matthias Karst, a pain specialist at Hannover Medical School who consults for Vertanical, said in an...