Introduction in different countries of its legal use for medicinal purposes induced physicians to prescribe cannabis galenic formulations prepared by pharmacists. At the same time, herbal preparations deriving from the cannabis plant and single cannabinoids were more in-depth investigated for their potential ...
Introduction in different countries of its legal use for medicinal purposes induced physicians to prescribe cannabis galenic formulations prepared by pharmacists. At the same time, herbal preparations deriving from the cannabis plant and single cannabinoids were more in-depth investigated for their potential therapeutic properties. In this context, pre-clinical and human research showed that they can produce biological effects, ameliorating human pathologies such as neurologic, psychiatric, and inflammatory diseases and conditions characterized by pain. Moreover, results obtained in clinical studies raised important considerations regarding the better suitability of different kinds of formulations and routes of administration. Research on cannabis and cannabinoids has resulted in the development of medicinal products licensed by regulatory agencies. In particular, a product composed of two extracts, containing a similar percentage of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) or cannabidiol (CBD), was authorized for the treatment of pain caused by muscle spasms in people affected by multiple sclerosis, and another product based only on CBD for the treatment of severe infantile epileptic diseases such as Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, Dravet syndrome and epilepsy in tuberous sclerosis complex. Beyond these therapeutic indications, experiments on cannabis and cannabinoids have shown promising results for other pathologic conditions. Furthermore, cannabis contains over 120 other cannabinoids and some of these compounds could show to have potential therapeutic uses to be investigated in future studies.
An important consideration regarding the medical use of cannabis and cannabinoids is related to safety aspects. It is fundamental to increase research on the appropriate evaluation of the risk/benefit ratio of medicinal products based on cannabis and cannabinoids, which received market authorization through the analysis of the database of regulatory agencies, and to pay close attention to signals of adverse reactions suspected to be caused by unlicensed cannabis products.
This Research Topic aims to collect scientific articles indicating new perspectives for therapy with cannabis and cannabinoids and other new findings confirming their effectiveness and safety in established therapeutic indications.
Keywords:
cannabis, cannabinoids, pharmacological therapy, drug development, effectiveness, safety, adverse reactions, cannabis galenic formulations, neurology, psychiatry, inflammatory disease, pain, routes of administration
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