The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency granted approval to Canada-based Tilray Inc. to import research-grade marijuana products for a clinical trial at the University of California, San Diego.
Tilray will provide cannabinoids for a study on essential tremor, a neurological movement disorder characterized by involuntary and rhythmic shaking. The clinical trial, which will start in 2019, will be conducted at the university's Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research. According to the center, current drugs to treat essential tremor (originally developed for high blood pressure or seizures) are ineffective for many patients.
According to the International Essential Tremor Foundation, the disorder strikes millions of Americans. The foundation said 4.6 and 6.3 percent of the general population age 65 and older have ET.
Tilray's product _ a formulation of cannabidiol (CBD) and low-dose tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) _ will be given to patients in capsule form.
The double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover clinical trial will enroll 16 adults who have been diagnosed with ET by a movement disorder neurologist. All participants will be given an oral cannabis formulation with a 20:1 ratio of CBD to THC. After two weeks, participants will taper off,
