The University of Notre Dame’s Institute for Health Research partners with MGC Pharmaceuticals to conduct the first ever clinical trial using cannabis as a treatment for dementia.

The actual trial is due to commence in early 2020 and will take place over 14 months and they are aiming to enrol 50 participants aged 65 and older with mild dementia or Alzheimer. The University of Notre Dame in Western Australia’s (UNDA)’s Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC) approved all ethical concerns, ensuring the safety and well-being of the participants as well as bringing together medical experts, elder care practitioners and industry stakeholders. By partnering with MGC Pharmaceuticals, who have operations in Israel, Slovenia, Czech Rep, the UK and Australia, UNDA will be provided with a specially formulated medical cannabis product called CogniCann. According to MGC Pharmaceuticals, it is a specially blended CBD-THC oral-spray medication formulated to specifically treat dementia symptoms.

Is dementia treatment a national priority?

As 350,000 Australians are already living with some form of dementia, the number is to double in 40 years with an additional 1.5 million people currently involved in the care of someone with dementia. The Institute for Health Research’s director, Jim Codde, finds that dementia research should be “a national priority” to end the suffering of a disease that has no cure. In the end, finding a cure can improve that life of the patient, and more than anything, for families and caregivers too.