Δ9-THC (Namisol®) in Chronic Pancreatitis Patients Suffering From Persistent Abdominal Pain

Abdominal pain resulting from chronic pancreatitis (CP) is often recurrent, intense and long-lasting, and is extremely difficult to treat. Medical analgesic therapy is considered as first choice in pain management of CP, resulting in regularly prescription of opioids. The adverse consequences of prolonged opioid use, including addiction, tolerance and opioid induced hyperalgesia, call for an alternative medical treatment. Cannabis has been used to treat pain for many centuries. Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC), the psychoactive substance of the cannabis plant, has been shown in previous studies to be a promising analgesic. The development of Namisol®, a tablet containing purified Δ9-THC showing an improved pharmacokinetic profile, provides the opportunity to test the analgesic potential of Δ9-THC in favourable conditions. The current study aims to investigate the analgesic efficacy of Namisol® as add-on analgesic during a long-term treatment (52 days) of abdominal pain resulting from CP.