Cannabis has the ability to alleviate the symptoms of some diseases and its proven therapeutic properties have contributed to the legalization of the medicinal use of marijuana for the treatment of pathologies as diverse as multiple sclerosis or some types of epilepsy, or to relieve pain. chronic or side effects of chemotherapy.
However, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) – the psychoactive component of marijuana – has its dark side and can cause dependency and binge use in some users, a problem known as cannabis use disorder or CUD. cannabis use disorder–, which affects around 10% of the 193 million cannabis users and for which effective pharmacological treatments are not available.
While methadone, for example, is often used to treat opiate or heroin addiction, there is no drug that can help those who cannot control their cannabis use. Now, a new class of drugs has just demonstrated its potential to combat cannabis addiction in three clinical trials published in the journal Nature Medicine.
The new drug only inhibits the specific signals in THC that cause the cannabis user to experience a high
The drug AEF0117 belongs to the group of specific inhibitors of the cannabinoid receptor type 1 (CB1) signal, it has been developed by Aelis Farma, and it helps to reduce the consumption of cannabis without causing side effects by blocking only the specific molecular pathways associated with a high. . As explained by the pharmaceutical company, it is “the first of the new pharmacological class, CB 1 -SSi, which is based on a natural brain mechanism that combats hyperactivity of the CB 1 receptor.”
Fight cannabis addiction without side effects
This mechanism was discovered by the research group of the Executive Director of Aelis Farma, Dr. Pier Vincenzo Piazza, when he was director of the Neurocentre Magendie of the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research (INSERM) in Bordeaux. This unique mechanism of action allows CB 1 -SSi to inhibit only the cellular signals involved in CUD, without disrupting the physiological activity of the receptor.
The CB1 receptor is like a lock in our brain that only matches certain keys and THC is one of those that can bind to this receptor and unlock the blissful feeling it produces. The problem is that CB1 is also an ideal lock for endogenous cannabinoids, which are the ones that our brain produces naturally and until now the only drugs that could combat CUD were agonists, which cover the CB1 keyhole and prevent endogenous cannabinoids bind to it, thus producing side effects such as drowsiness or mental confusion.
However, this specific signal inhibitor only inhibits the specific signals, which in this case are the THC signals that cause the user to experience a high. In the phase 2 clinical trial, 29 volunteers with CUD between the ages of 21 and 44 took one dose of the new drug every day for two weeks. They had the opportunity to smoke if they wanted, but as the study progressed, they chose not to smoke, as the treatment was attenuating the effects of the high and making smoking less desirable.
The investigators have explained that AEF0117 did not cause treatment-related serious adverse events or treatment-emergent adverse events other than placebo. The goal of treatment, they have said, is not necessarily abstinence from marijuana, since the decreases in the effects of cannabis occurred even in volunteers who continued to smoke several grams of cannabis a day, and the user is the one who can decide if you want to eliminate cannabis completely, or just reduce the amount or frequency of use.
The drug must continue to be tested before it reaches people who need it, but Dr. Piazza is hopeful that it will be available in about five years. “This landmark paper culminates more than a decade of research, from the discovery of this natural brain mechanism to our proof-of-concept clinical trial,” said Dr. Piazza. “We are delighted to contribute to the field of neuropharmacology with a class of drugs never before tested in humans. Now, we at Aelis are sponsoring a large phase 2b placebo-controlled study in collaboration with Columbia University Irving Medical Center, enrolling 330 participants with CUD to evaluate three dose levels of AEF0117 in the treatment of cannabis addiction. . The results should be available by mid-2024.”
