A year-long study to examine the effects of medicinal cannabis has produced “incredibly promising” results with “clinically meaningful” improvements across a range of conditions.
The Quality of Life Evaluation Study (QUEST), led by the University of Sydney and sponsored by Little Green Pharma (LGP), assessed the health of more than 2,300 patients between November 2020 and December 2021.
Patient-reported outcomes after 12 months found “very strong evidence” of clinically meaningful improvements in health-related quality of life (HRQL), sleep and fatigue, and clinically meaningful reductions in anxiety, pain, depression and sleep disorders.
The study defined the phrase “clinically meaningful” as improvements in health that have a “significant and important impact on a person’s health and well-being” which can make a “real difference in how healthcare professionals understand or treat a medical condition”.
While 2,353 patients completed at least one questionnaire, only 778 saw the study through to the end and completed the 12-month report.
Nevertheless, researchers said the findings support and substantiate previously published data after three months of the QUEST study.
Curtin University assistant professor Richard Norman, a health economics advisor for the initiative, described the results as “significant”.
“These 12-month, real-world results are incredibly promising and indicate that medicinal cannabis can be an effective part of a GP’s toolkit when seeking to treat patients with chronic conditions which are stubbornly resistant to conventional treatment options,” he said.
“They indicate that medicinal cannabis can play a role in longer term health outcomes for a range of chronic conditions rather than being seen as a band-aid solution.
“Importantly, the results appear to be robust across different health conditions ranging from pain to anxiety and sleep issues. If medicinal cannabis can be shown to help these groups, then there is likely to be knock-on effects in other areas of the person’s life.”
LGP, which supplied a range of products for the study, said the results are “particularly important” for Australian doctors as they demonstrate the effectiveness of Australian-grown medicinal cannabis.
“By using local products and involving local participants we are delivering highly relevant data that can confidently guide doctors in their prescribing decisions, ultimately enhancing patient care across Australia,” chief executive Paul Long said.
The QUEST study was also supported by insurance firm HIF which said it has seen a 38% increase in customers claiming for medicinal cannabis treatments.
“The fact our members continue to claim these services indicates they are likely seeing potential benefits from medicinal cannabis as a treatment option,” HIF chief data and proposition officer Nikesh Hirani said.
Researchers found that patients who stuck with the study and completed the 12-month questionnaire were older and less likely to be suffering from anxiety, while the 391 who dropped out after only completing a baseline assessment – and who did not provide a reason for withdrawing – were generally younger, male, less educated and less likely to be married than those who continued on the study.
Meanwhile, of the 323 who dropped out and gave a reason, 41% said they were not experiencing any therapeutic benefit, 22% found an alternative treatment, 20% were suffering unwanted side effects and 17% found the medicine too costly.
Women made up 63% of the original participants, while 37.4% were university educated, and more than a quarter were either unemployed, on leave or on limited work duties due to their poor health.
The next phase of the Quest initiative has seen the launch of a global study, to be led by Curtin University, LGP and HIF.
Patients are currently being recruited for the project that will assess whether medicinal cannabis reduces the health economic impact of chronic disease.
