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Baltimore, MD: The twice-daily administration of dronabinol capsules (FDA-approved, synthetically produced THC) significantly mitigates agitation in patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD), according to placebo-controlled clinical trial data presented at the 2024 International Psychogeriatric Association conference in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Investigators affiliated with John Hopkins University in Baltimore and Tufts University in Boston assessed the safety and efficacy of dronabinol versus placebo in 75 patients with severe Alzheimer’s-associated agitation.
Compared to the placebo group, subjects who consumed 5-milligram doses of dronabinol experienced a 30 percent reduction in agitation. Researchers said that the efficacy of oral THC was similar to that of traditional antipsychotics, but that dronabinol possessed a superior safety profile.
Several clinical trials dating back to the 1990s have similarly shown positive results for the use of dronabinol in patients with AD. More recent studies have also reported that the use of cannabis plant-derived extracts reduces AD-related symptoms, including agitation, irritability, and sleep disturbances.
Preclinical data has shown that both THC and synthetic THC agonists can modulate neuroinflammation and the formation of amyloid plaque in the brain – both of which are believed to play a key role in the development of AD.
Additional information on cannabinoids and Alzheimer’s disease is available from NORML’s publication, Clinical Applications for Cannabis and Cannabinoids.
“}]]Dronabinol capsules administered twice daily during the trial Read More