Cannabis-based medicinal products were re-categorised under UK law in November 2018, allowing them to be prescribed, albeit only by specialist doctors working within very tight regulations.
This has meant that, in practice, there have been a limited number of prescriptions actually dispensed in the UK for these products.
The National Institute for Health & Care Excellence (NICE), the body responsible for issuing guidance on whether certain medicines are recommended for use in healthcare, has recently published a draft of its official guidance on cannabis-based medicinal products.
Brain Tumour Research was pleased to see that NICE recommended that clinicians could consider cannabis-based Nabilone as an add-on treatment for patients experiencing persistent vomiting as a result of chemotherapy (if traditional anti-vomiting medicine isn’t working sufficiently by itself). Although this only affects a small number of patients, it can provide relief from a very unpleasant side-effect of chemotherapy.
We are also glad to see NICE recommending further research into the effectiveness of these medicines for children and young people with chronic cancer-related pain.
Brain Tumour Research will continue to monitor this topic with interest.
Related reading:
- Cannabis-based medicinal products: Six-months on from a change in the law
- Medical cannabinoids and brain tumours – Interview with Dr Wai Liu
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