Analgesic effects of a treatment with Cannabis Sativa extract in patients with knee osteoarthritis: a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial - CANOA (Cannabis for Osteoarthritis)

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most prevalent joint disease in humans, often causing disability in those affected, especially the elderly. OA is characterized by mechanical joint pain, crepitus and short-term post-immobilization stiffness. OA pain has a variable pathophysiology and, despite the many pharmacological options available, its treatment is often ineffective and has significant side effects. Therefore, the search for more effective and safer treatments is fundamental in the field of OA. Among the possible treatments are substances derived from cannabis. Cannabis plants have been used for various purposes by humankind for thousands of years. Its best-known species, Cannabis sativa, has over a hundred substances called cannabinoids or, more specifically, phytocannabinoids, one of the most important of which is cannabidiol (CBD) and Delta-9-tetraidrocanabinol (THC). Therefore, this project aims to investigate the effects of a CBD-rich Cannabis sativa extract on pain in patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA), as well as on secondary outcomes such as depression and quality of life. In addition, we will assess clinical adverse events and biomarker levels in patients undergoing this treatment.