Here’s the latest CBD news:
Researchers at the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University reported on Tuesday (3/9) that they successfully treated “familial Alzheimer’s,” a less common, but equally serious variant of the disease, with a two-week trial of large-dose CBD.
Though medications and therapies currently exist to treat the symptoms of Alzheimer’s in hopes of maximizing the patient’s functional capacity, this trial is among the first to directly counteract the mechanism that drives Alzheimer’s: beta-amyloid plaque accumulation in the brain.
The researchers found that CBD “normalizes levels and function” of two proteins called TREM2 and IL-33, whose job it is to “scrub” the brain of these harmful plaques that cause Alzheimer’s to develop.
As suspected, the mice used in this trial were deficient in both of these proteins, and after treatment with CBD, the cardinal symptom (in the case of mice, constantly running in a circle) stopped.
According to the researchers, CBD treatment increased IL-33 levels seven times and TREM2 levels ten times.
As a result, participants demonstrated improved cognition, which in itself is a resounding victory in the struggle against this highly prevalent disease.
A consumer class action lawsuit against Infinite Product Company, a Colorado-based CBD manufacturer, was stayed by the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California last Wednesday (3/3).
The complaint filed by Adam Dasilva alleged that the company “has intentionally marketed and sold illegal CBD products,” and that “each of the class members accordingly suffered an injury in fact caused by the false, fraudulent, unfair, deceptive, and misleading practices” of the company.
According to the complaint, the defendant’s products—“Absolute Zero 99%+ CBD Isolate,” “Freezing Point CBD Topical Cream,” and several others—are legally classified as drugs because they are marketed for the diagnosis and treatment of disease.
Considering the mass confusion surrounding the current state of CBD regulation, the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California decided to invoke the primary jurisdiction doctrine, a rule that allows the court to delay the case since it pertains to a matter currently being resolved within a federal agency.
In other words, the court is waiting to see what the FDA and/or Congress produce in terms of definitive CBD regulations so they can use these new precedents to assist with their deliberations and final ruling in this class action suit.
It’s likely that, if the government takes too long to act, the case will have to resume without the benefit of additional guidance.
A new study by Aristotle University of Thessaloniki in Greece presents an algorithm that the researchers developed for the 3D printing of individualized medicines.
The intent of the algorithm is to provide the healthcare supply chain with access to a “non-expert guided” medicine manufacturing process so more facilities and patients could have access to individualized medicines.
According to the researchers, the AI-powered algorithm can calculate the optimal “dose and release characteristics” as well as the “size and shape” of pharmaceutical products based on patient information.
The “orodispersible films,” or capsules, that the experimenters developed were initially made with cannabidiol, “considering the simple correspondence between the recommended dose and the patient’s weight.”
Under testing for accuracy of size, release characteristics, and other customizable dimensions, the 3d-printed capsules passed convincingly, meeting target values every time.
If the researchers’ ambitions are realized, healthcare supply chains will embrace this new channel as a way to mass-produce individualized medicines for patients around the world.
1 Comment
Having Alzheimer’s is very difficult for both the patient and the family. Alzheimer’s is a type of dementia that affects memory, thinking, and behavior. Symptoms eventually grow severe enough to interfere with daily tasks. There might be no cure for Alzheimer’s, but there are treatments that may change disease progression, and drug and non-drug options that may help treat symptoms. It would be great if CBD helps manage the symptoms of Alzheimer’s, as researchers are claiming.
– Dan White