A phase II trial of cannabis-based drug Sativex in treating glioblastoma (GBM) known as ARISTOCRAT will open in March 2022 at 15 NHS hospitals.
Sativex (an oral spray containing cannabinoids THC and CBD) — which is already used in treating multiple sclerosis — was initially found to be tolerable in combination with chemotherapy offering the potential to extend survival in a phase I trial in 27 patients earlier this year. This phase II trial, funded by The Brain Tumour Charity and led by University of Leeds researchers, will now assess whether adding Sativex to chemotherapy could extend life for those living with recurrent glioblastoma.
The three-year trial is being led by Professor Susan Short at the University of Leeds and coordinated by the Cancer Research UK Clinical Trials Unit at the University of Birmingham with the recruitment of over 230 patients at 15 NHS hospitals across all UK nations beginning in March.
Experts hope that, should the trial prove successful, Sativex could represent one of the first additions to NHS treatment for glioblastoma patients since temozolomide chemotherapy in 2007.
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