patient died during cannabis drug trial

from http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article...922744,00.html

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Originally Posted by Times Online

Patient died during cannabis drug trial
By Russell Jenkins
A WOMAN taking part in trials of an experimental cannabis-based drug appeared drunk and became so confused that she was admitted to hospital where she later died, an inquest was told yesterday.

Rene Anderson, 69, of Frecheville, Sheffield, was prescribed the drug Sativex by researchers to ease pain caused by diabetes. She developed pneumonia, respiratory problems and died of kidney failure, the hearing in Sheffield was told.

Some patients claim that cannabis-based medicines relieve their symptoms and ease pain but Sativex has yet to win a licence in Britain, pending further data from GW Pharmaceuticals, its manufacturer. It has been licensed in Canada and can be used in Britain under special licence from the Home Office, and at a doctorâ??s discretion.

Yesterday the Royal College of Physicians said that more clinical trials were needed into cannabis-based medicines, which appeared to be beneficial in some cases.

Christopher Dorries, the coroner, said at the start of yesterdayâ??s hearing that its purpose was to decide whether there was a â??clear or direct linkâ?� between the patientâ??s death and the drug.

Mrs Anderson had suffered from diabetic neuropathy, a complication of diabetes that causes extreme pain and numbness in the limbs. She was considered to be a suitable candidate for the trial to find out whether the condition would respond to a cannabis-based drug. Soloman Tesfaye, the consultant in charge of the trial, told the inquest that he had wanted to test claims made by users of cannabis.

Mrs Anderson was on the trial drug for 23 days. Dr Tesfaye said that on the third day he learnt that things were â??not quite rightâ?�. Her family complained that she appeared to be in a state of confusion, as if she were drunk. The drugs company advised reducing the dose, and the symptoms appeared to dissipate. But 18 days into the trial, Jackie Sadler, the patientâ??s daughter, told reseachers that her mother was behaving strangely. Mrs Anderson was admitted to hospital several days later after a series of hypoglycaemic attacks. She died on March 3 last year.

John Shortland, the pathologist who conducted the post-mortem examination, said he understood that Mrs Andersonâ??s mental condition and mobility had changed after taking the trial drug.

He was asked whether there was a relationship between Mrs Andersonâ??s mental problems and the physical â??shut-downâ?� that occured while she was in hospital. Dr Shortland said: â??There was a progressive decline and worsening of her general condition. She developed acute renal failure that required dialysis. I can only say that the two came togetherâ?�.

The inquest is expected to hear evidence from experts in cannabis psychosis, a condition that is seen in some users of the drug. Sativex contains two chemicals found in cannabis: tetrahydrocannabinol and cannabidol

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she was old and sick, probably was going to die anyway

ya i hope ppl dont look down on cannabis becuase of it but sadly they probably will

I hope they don't look down on it as a result.

It'll be interesting to see what link the autopsy results can establish, if any. I don't think with such a history of diabetes and neuropathy, I'd have wanted her in my study. She was risky going into that.

Maybe they should stick to the natural plant and not some shit that guys in white coats threw together in a lab.

everyone knows that it was her being old and sick as the reason of death, no one has ever died during all the time its been used and nobody will, its impossible

If it's a fake story or not...

She had diabetes. Maybe that killed her?

Also, she was taking a synthetic THC that was created from other chemicals, so I don't see why they should blame the natural plant.

They should have stuck with the flower and herb themselves. Vaporize it, instead of creating something that could be fatal by a common math mistake.

Autopsy revealed that she ingested the pills........ she shoulda smoked em instead. :)

fake story.

IMO they should have put a white strain in a vaporizor and let her inhale it. Synthetic drugs have too many side effects. Sounds like she was going to die anyway. Diabetic neuropathy is usually irreversable. If there wasn't good blood flow to her organs then the renal failure was eminent. Maybe she was just sensitive to medication. It happens.

Umm...why didnt she just smoke marijuana instead of taking some drug thats "cannabis-based"? Rather it's all THC or not you never know what else these doctors or pharmaceuticals add to these "cannabis-based" drugs.

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Sativex is formulated to contain two of the main active ingredients of cannabis: tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) in a 1.08:1 ratio, but it also contains everything else that is in the aerial parts (i.e., all but the roots) of the plant.

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I bet she wouldnt have died if she just smoked it. As I said before theres a old guy (gotta be in his 60's or past it) in Holland that grows and smokes marijuana in his fight against cancer and he hasnt died. Theres no way possible some one could look down at marijuana because of this mouth spray. They just need to stop trying to synthesize fuckin marijuana and just legalize the flowers so it can be smoked or eaten...nothing good is coming out of this.

You guys need to do a little more research here. Sativex is not synthetic. Its an extract of everything in the cannabis plant (besides roots). It emphasizes that it contains THC and cannabidiol because THC and cannabidiol are active ingredients that seem to have anti-inflammatory etc. properties.

http://www.medicalmarijuanaprocon.or...nabisdrugs.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sativex

http://www.gwpharm.com/faqs.asp#faqs2_2

I'm guessing the woman died from previous illnesses, not the medicine.