Cannabis research

Pain and opioid system

Pain is one of the most fundamental mechanisms in humans and animals to avoid physical damage, mediated by the central nervous system. The endogenous opioid system is a prominent regulator of this mechanism, as it inhibits the signal transduction of pain. For thousands of years, humans have targeted this system, with natural substances such as opium and morphine, to relieve pain symptoms. Nevertheless, exogenous activation of the opioid system is also associated with euphoria, development of dependence and tolerance, and loss of breath in high doses.

chronic pain

During the last few decades, as chronic pain has become a global problem affecting billions of people, more potent substances, such as the opioids oxycodone and fentanyl were synthesized and became a substantial tool in chronic pain management. This approach came with a cost, as extensive prescribing of opioids and overuse resulted in grave consequences in the shape of the current crisis of the opioid epidemic, as millions suffer from opiate addiction and hundreds of thousands already lost their lives due to opiate overdose. Regulators and health care providers seek for solutions to decrease opioid exposure and eliminate substance use disorders and addiction due to opiate consumption.

The benefits of cannabis products

Research shows the potential benefits of cannabis products in reducing the use of opiates among pain patients, as well as other addictive substances such as benzodiazepines. In these studies, patients reported opioid tapering after the initiation of cannabis treatment, as well as dosage reduction of other analgesics. Since cannabis has a lower risk of dependence compared with opioids, consensus-based recommendations were published for safely titrating cannabinoids and tapering opioids for chronic pain control.

Elixie Develops effective alternatives to opioid treatment

Elixie is devoted to finding effective alternatives to opioid treatment for improving and optimization of clinical therapy by developing medical cannabis products based on advanced delivery technologies. One of the most important elements in pain management is the onset time which consists of a major drawback of the common oral medical cannabis products like sublingual oil, sprays, and capsules. The expected rapid onset of 15-30 minutes after administration is one of the key properties of Elixie’s developed products. Therefore in addition to other benefits of Elixie's technology, these products can serve as a preferred alternative and contribute to the efforts fighting the opioid epidemic.

References

Lucas P, Walsh Z. Medical cannabis access, use, and substitution for prescription opioids and other substances: A survey of authorized medical cannabis patients. Int J Drug Policy. 2017 Apr;42:30-35. doi: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2017.01.011. Epub 2017 Feb 9. PMID: 28189912.

Haroutounian, Simon PhD*,†; Ratz, Yael PharmD*; Ginosar, Yehuda MD‡; Furmanov, Karina MSc§; Saifi, Fayez MD*,‡; Meidan, Ronit RN*; Davidson, Elyad MD*,‡. The Effect of Medicinal Cannabis on Pain and Quality-of-Life Outcomes in Chronic Pain: A Prospective Open-label Study. The Clinical Journal of Pain: December 2016 - Volume 32 - Issue 12 - p 1036-1043 doi: 10.1097/AJP.0000000000000364

Sihota A, Smith BK, Ahmed SA, Bell A, Blain A, Clarke H, Cooper ZD, Cyr C, Daeninck P, Deshpande A, Ethans K, Flusk D, Le Foll B, Milloy MJ, Moulin DE, Naidoo V, Ong M, Perez J, Rod K, Sealey R, Sulak D, Walsh Z, O'Connell C. Consensus-based recommendations for titrating cannabinoids and tapering opioids for chronic pain control. Int J Clin Pract. 2021