Analgesic Effects of a Treatment With Cannabis Sativa Extract in Patients With Knee Osteoarthritis - CANOA (Cannabis for Osteoarthritis)

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most prevalent joint disease in humans, often causing disability in affected individuals, 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. The search for more effective and safer treatments is therefore essential 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 more than a hundred substances called cannabinoids or, more specifically, phytocannabinoids, the most important of which is cannabidiol (CBD). Although many pre-clinical studies indicate the usefulness of phytocannabinoids, clinical evidence for their application is currently scarce. Therefore, this project aims to investigate the effects of a CBD-rich extract of Cannabis sativa on the pain of patients with knee OA, as well as the possible adverse events of this treatment.