Clinical outcome analysis of patients with multiple sclerosis - Analysis from the UK Medical Cannabis Registry

Matthew Murphy; Varinder Kaur; Hanh Lan Bui; Toby Yang; Simon Erridge; Carl Holvey; Ross Coomber; James J Rucker; Mark W Weatherall; Mikael H Sodergren

doi:10.1016/j.msard.2024.105665

Clinical outcome analysis of patients with multiple sclerosis - Analysis from the UK Medical Cannabis Registry

Mult Scler Relat Disord. 2024 May 6:87:105665. doi: 10.1016/j.msard.2024.105665. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Imperial College Medical Cannabis Research Group, Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College London, London, UK.
² Imperial College Medical Cannabis Research Group, Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College London, London, UK; Curaleaf Clinic, London, UK.
³ Curaleaf Clinic, London, UK.
⁴ Curaleaf Clinic, London, UK; St. George's Hospital NHS Trust, London, UK.
⁵ Curaleaf Clinic, London, UK; Department of Psychological Medicine, Kings College London, London, UK; South London & Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK.
⁶ Curaleaf Clinic, London, UK; Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust, Amersham, UK.
⁷ Imperial College Medical Cannabis Research Group, Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College London, London, UK; Curaleaf Clinic, London, UK. Electronic address: m.sodergren@imperial.ac.uk.

PMID: 38728958
DOI: 10.1016/j.msard.2024.105665

Abstract

Introduction: Whilst disease-modifying therapies are the cornerstone for treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS), there is a need to develop novel therapeutics for the symptomatic sequalae of the disease. Cannabis-based medicinal products (CBMPs) have been suggested as a potential therapy for the associated pain, spasticity, and mental health disorders. However, there is a paucity of clinical evidence on CBMPs in MS. The aim of this study is to assess changes in MS-specific and general health-related quality of life (HRQoL) outcomes alongside adverse event incidence in patients prescribed CBMPs for MS from the UK Medical Cannabis Registry (UKMCR).

Method: Patients prescribed CBMPs for MS symptoms for longer than one month were identified from the UKMCR. The primary outcomes were changes from baseline in MS Quality of Life-54 (MSQoL-54), Generalised Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7), Single-Item Sleep Quality Scale (SQS), and EQ-5D-5L scales at one month, three months and six months. p < 0.050 was defined as statistically significant.

Results: 141 patients met the inclusion criteria for the study. There was an improvement in the following subscales of the MSQoL-54 at 6 months: change in health scale, cognitive function, mental health composition, physical health, role limitations due to physical limitation and due to emotional problems, as well as social and sexual function (p < 0.050). There were also improvements in the EQ-5D-5L index value, GAD-7 and SQS (p < 0.050). 146 (103.55 %) adverse events were reported in total. Most were considered mild (n = 47; 33.33 %) and moderate (n = 72; 51.06 %).

Conclusions: This preliminary analysis demonstrates a possible association with improved general health-related quality of life in those prescribed CBMPs for MS. Moreover, the results suggest that CBMPs are well-tolerated in the first 6 months of treatment. However, this must be interpreted with caution considering the limitations of the observational study design.

Keywords: Cannabidiol; Cannabis-based medicinal products; Multiple sclerosis; Patient reported outcome measures; Tetrahydrocannabinol.