Women’s health researcher Associate Professor Mike Armour and Cannabiz Prescribing Healthcare Practitioner of the Year 2024 Dr Orit Holtzman are recruiting patients for a number of medicinal cannabis studies focused on overlooked health conditions.
While current treatments generally fail to treat primary dysmenorrhea (period pain), endometriosis and diabetic peripheral neuropathy well, three clinical trials running at the National Institute of Complementary Medicine (NICM) Health Research Institute are aiming to change that.

Associate Professor Armour, who is Director of Research at the Institute, and NICM Fellow Dr Holtzman are currently recruiting participants who suffer from the conditions to take part in the studies.
Armour said conditions such as period pain and endometriosis often lack effective treatments, largely due to a historical lack of research on conditions that affect women.
“NICM is working to try and redress at least some of this imbalance,” he said.

“Period pain affects around nine out of 10 young women in Australia, but despite this there has been a lack of new treatments, even though around half of young women report they only get partial relief from something like ibuprofen.
“Similarly, those with endometriosis often report they are unhappy with their current treatment because it doesn’t adequately reduce their symptoms, leading to significant reductions in quality of life, including impacting their studies, work and personal relationships.”
Armour said his team hoped medicinal cannabis could be an effective treatment option for both conditions. They are looking for people in Australia over 20 who have regular period pain for the primary dysmenorrhea study, and people over 18 with a confirmed diagnosis of endometriosis for that study.
Dr Holtzman said diabetic peripheral neuropathy is a complication of uncontrolled or long-lasting diabetes, characterised by damage to the peripheral nervous system.

“Neuropathic pain is a frequent, debilitating manifestation of diabetic peripheral neuropathy, referred to as diabetic peripheral neuropathic pain (DPNP),” she said.
“DPNP affects daily functioning and sleep, often results in anxiety and depression, and is associated with diminished quality of life.
“Management of DPNP is challenging and the pain often does not respond adequately to the currently available medication. Medicinal cannabis may offer relief to people who have not been helped by those medications.”
The DPNP study is an international randomised controlled trial using technology from its sponsor Syqe that delivers medicinal cannabis via inhalation in a TGA-approved medical device.
To find out more about the three studies, visit:
NICM HRI | Medicinal cannabis for primary dysmenorrhea (period pain)
NICM HRI | EndoCann Study
https://www.westernsydney.edu.au/nicm/research/clinical_trials/dpnpstudy