Robust evidence base for medical cannabis is lacking,says NICE

摘要

Draft guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence(NICE) on cannabis-based medical products(CBMPs) does not recommend its use in epilepsy,chronic pain or multiple sclerosis.Tire guidance,published on 8 August 2019,is the first since medical cannabis was legalised in November 2018.NICE said that more research into the use of CBMPs was needed because current evidence was”limited and of low quality”,with a high level of adverse events.It did,however,recommend nabilone-a synthetic cannabinoid-as an add-on therapy for patients who have chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting.The document also says NICE is unable to recommend CBMPs for severe treat-ment-resistant epilepsy.But Mike Barnes,a consultant neurologist and chair of tire Medical Cannabis Clinicians’Society,said the guidance meant the chances of doctors getting approval to prescribe CBMPs had”now diminished even further,to basically zero”.Seema Kennedy,former health minister,said in May 2019 thai just six NHS prescriptions for CBMPs had been issued since medical cannabis was legalised.