“There is a significant need for new treatments to address spasticity in MS patients, a challenging condition with little therapeutic innovation in decades in the United States,” said Dr. Stephen Krieger, Associate Professor of Neurology at the Mount Sinai Hospital. “Nabiximols has the potential to be a rigorously tested and FDA-regulated cannabis-derived medicine for people living with MS. I look forward to participating as an investigator in this study which will evaluate the effect of nabiximols on the frequency of muscle spasms.”
The study is a Phase 3, double-blind, parallel, placebo-controlled study that will evaluate the safety and efficacy of nabiximols for spasm frequency over a 12-week period and is expected to enroll 446 participants. The first patient is now screened and in baseline evaluation.
Beyond this initial study, the Company intends to commence the following additional Phase 3 trials of nabiximols for MS-associated spasticity:
• | | Phase 3 muscle tone studies – placebo-controlled cross-over design |
| • | | N=52; Expected start: Q4 2020 (subject to COVID) |
| • | | N=190; Expected start: Q1 2021 |
| • | | N=36 (nabiximols responders); Expected start: Q1 2021 |
• | | Phase 3 spasm frequency studies – placebo-controlled parallel group |
| • | | N=~200 (nabiximols responders); Expected start: Q2 2021 |
About Nabiximols
Nabiximols is in pivotal Phase 3 development in the United States for the treatment of MS spasticity. The U.S. commercial rights are owned by GW. In addition to MS spasticity, GW expects to develop nabiximols in Spinal Cord Injury spasticity.
Nabiximols is a complex botanical medicine formulated from extracts of the cannabis plant that contains the principal cannabinoids THC and CBD and also contains minor constituents, including other cannabinoid and non-cannabinoid plant components, such as terpenes, sterols, and triglycerides. The product is administered as an oral spray.
Nabiximols is known as Sativex® outside of the U.S. and is indicated in numerous countries as a treatment for symptom improvement in adult patients with moderate to severe spasticity due to multiple sclerosis (MS) who have not responded adequately to other anti-spasticity medication and who demonstrate clinically significant improvement in spasticity related symptoms during an initial trial of therapy.1 These approvals were based on multiple pivotal trials conducted in Europe.2 Sativex is currently not approved for any indication in the U.S.
1 | Sativex Oralmucosal Spray, SmPC, https://www.medicines.org.uk/emc/product/602. |
2 | Markova et al, International Journal of Neuroscience 2019; Novotna et al, European Journal of Neurology 2011; Collin et al, European Journal of Neurology 2007About Nabiximols |