Can participants continue taking cannabidiol after the CanARY trial finishes?
Can participants continue taking cannabidiol after the CanARY trial finishes?
Orygen’s hope is that the results of the current study will be used to improve accessibility of cannabidiol (CBD) to individuals who might benefit from it. CBD is one type of medicinal cannabis product.
Currently, CBD access is limited. This is because CBD is a controlled substance that can only be prescribed in Australia via the Special Access Scheme (SAS) and its cost is not subsidised by the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS). Trial participants who wish to access CBD after participating in the trial will need to cover the cost themselves.
Currently, the average price of CBD in Australia is $0.10 per mg. This means that it would cost approximately $60 per day for someone prescribed 600mg and approximately $100 per day for someone prescribed 1000mg (https://www.cannabisplace.com.au/cbd/buying-cbd-oil-australia). For purified CBD the cost is even higher, at around $200 per 1000mg (https://www.pbs.gov.au/medicine/item/12467E).
The research team encourages participants who are interested in continuing to take CBD after the trial to speak to their general practitioner (GP). Your GP can apply to access unapproved medicinal cannabis via the SAS. Your GP will have to provide justification for the use of medicinal cannabis, which may include details of past treatments and reasons why current approved treatments are inappropriate in your case.
This short video by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) provides an overview of the access pathways that may be applicable to you: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wK1L4ESJeIM
Access options and pathways may vary between states. The following table lists contact details for state-specific information about accessing medicinal cannabis:
(Source: https://www.tga.gov.au/access-medicinal-cannabis-products-using-access-schemes)
Please contact your GP for further information regarding access pathways that are appropriate for you, as well as alternative treatment options.
healthdirect (https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/medicinal-cannabis) has some helpful suggestions for questions that you may want to ask your GP:
Could medicinal cannabis help my condition?
Is it safe for me to use?
Will it affect my other medications?
Are there any side effects?
Further enquiries about the trial can be sent to [email protected]
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