New CBD-Based Drug Offers Hope For Breast Cancer Patients Struggling With Pain: Clinical Trial Kicks Off

Cancer treatment and research center City of Hope and Biopharmaceutical Research Company, a pharmaceutical company that specializes in the development of proprietary cannabinoid therapeutics, announced on Thursday that the first patient has received BRC-001, an experimental supportive care therapy for breast cancer patients.

What Happened: The clinical trial, titled “High Cannabidiol (CBD) Standardized Extract for Aromatase Inhibitor-Induced Arthralgia – A randomized controlled double-blind clinical trial” seeks to assess the safety, tolerability and efficacy of a botanically-derived proprietary formulation developed by BRC (BRC-001) when taken orally to address the symptoms of AIIA.

City of Hope researchers are in the process of evaluating whether this cannabinoid therapeutic candidate could help patients with joint pain (arthralgia) that is often a side effect of aromatase inhibitors, a type of hormone therapy used to treat postmenopausal women with breast cancer.

Read Also: Cannabis During Breast Cancer Treatment: What Are The Benefits?

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Why It Matters: This side effect has caused many breast cancer patients to discontinue treatment. However, BRC-001 could change that.

“Cannabis-derived therapeutics are one of the most promising treatments to address underserved pain conditions," George Hodgin, CEO and founder of BRC, said. "BRC has developed a proprietary therapy with unique properties to address joint pain in breast cancer patients taking aromatase inhibitors. We look forward to providing a therapy for these patients that allows them to complete a full course of treatment.”

What's Next: Lisa Yee, M.D., City of Hope professor of breast surgery and lead investigator of the trial, explained the idea is to come up with innovative, FDA-approved therapies that would help patients complete their treatments.

“This research to alleviate or eliminate side effects, such as joint pain, is part of City of Hope’s commitment to provide compassionate, individualized care,” Yee said.

This scientific effort joins a growing body of research on cannabis and breast cancer. A study published in 2021 and conducted by Hadassah Medical Center physicians revealed a sixfold improvement in killing breast cancer cells when using specific Cannabotech's medical cannabis products in combination with standard oncology treatments and drug protocols – chemotherapy, biological and hormonal, over the existing treatment.

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