Australian Biotech Company Wants to Treat Autism Symptoms With Cannabis

[Butterfly88]

Australian Biotech Company Wants to Treat Autism Symptoms With Cannabis
JOE WILSON
October 3, 2017

(rgbspace/iStock)

Australian penny stock Zelda Therapeutics (ASX:ZLD) announced last week that it has completed an observation trial in Chile, and is reporting successful results for treating core symptoms of autism with medical cannabis extracts. Zelda officials say they now plan to build on those results with clinical trials in the second half of 2017.

The trial, in collaboration with a Chilean medical cannabis and alternative healthcare non-profit called Fundación Daya, aimed to treat core autism symptoms including difficulties with social interaction, language and repetitive behaviour.

The results found that in a cohort of 21 patients (median age of 9 years and 10 months), cannabis extracts were significantly more effective than the conventional medicines the children were using, including atypical antipsychotics.

Patients in the study were treated over a 12-week period and were examined by EEG, neuropsychological analysis, metabolism and genetic tests.Those treated with cannabis extracts demonstrated significant improvements in at least one core symptom (social interaction, language or repetitive behaviors) in 71.4% of cases and 66.7% of treated patients showing significant general overall improvement.

Harry Karelis, Executive Chairman of Zelda was excited with the results, as he sees a promising future with treating autism symptoms with cannabis.


“The results from this observational study are very exciting and supports the anecdotal evidence we have, showing the positive effect medicinal cannabis has on treating autism symptoms,” Karelis said in a statement.

“Zelda will use this baseline data to design its clinical trials and generate rigorous scientific data that validates the clinical benefit of medicinal cannabis,” Karelis added. “We hope that in the near future Zelda Therapeutics can provide an alternative treatment for sufferers of this condition which is of major global significance.”

There is little scientific literature covering the use of cannabis to treat autism. In 2011, a study published in Current Neuropharmacology demonstrated that Δ9-THC improved mobility and mood in a breed of mice which exhibit autism-like behaviour. However, a study in mice is a long way from solid peer-reviewed studies in humans.

Clinical trials are critical for establishing the safety and effectiveness of a treatment, but also for ensuring its acceptance by regulators like Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration. In the case of cannabis as an autism treatment, the lack of published studies makes successful clinical trials all the more important for Zelda.

But clinical trials of unproven medicines are time consuming, expensive, and far from certain. Zelda should take heed of the troubles of Zynerba Pharmaceuticals – a cannabidiol company which has a string of unsuccessful clinical trials behind it. Initially testing its cannabis-based medicine on epilepsy sufferers, Zynerba switched to treating osteoarthritis after poor results.

But following another lengthy and expensive trial, no significant improvements were seen in patients suffering from osteoarthritis, and Zynerba’s stock (NASDAQ:ZYNE) took a serious hit.

Curiously, Zynerba has reported some initial success in using its cannabis-extract formulation to treat Fragile X, a genetic condition which frequently overlaps with autism spectrum disorders.

Zelda may find room for collaboration – or face competition – as it builds out its cannabis-based autism-treatment medicine trials.

Source: https://www.leafly.com/news/health/...-wants-to-treat-autism-symptoms-with-cannabis

I don't like how they called people with autism "sufferers". I'm not sure autism requires this sort of medical treatment,. They say it helped repetitive behavior but if people with autism are happy with their repetitive behavior I'm not so sure it's needed. Maybe in severe cases. 21 patients isn't much of a study either.

 

[pjcnet]

I have to say that I'm extremely skeptical, it may help in the same way as a narcotic helps depression (in the very short term) and similarly how anti-depressants and anti-psychotics apparently help too, except you are not yourself. In the past they used to prescribe speed for depression (also as a slimming drug) and even MDMA (also known as ecstasy) has been tested, in fact in the past they've even tested LSD on people with various issues which will obviously cause nothing but very serious psychological issues.

I remember when my brother who is severely autistic and hyperactive got prescibed drugs (and remember cannabis is a drug too), he was like a zombie, yet experts kept saying how much better he was, what an amazing improvement, but it was NOT my brother any more and luckily my parents went against medical advise and insisted he came off the "treatment"! His consciousness had been reduced and in the long term it would had caused addiction, side affects and eventually a lot more issues than it was supposed to resolve and cannabis extract will almost certainly do the same.

Pharmaceutical companies are very often corrupt and extremely greedy, they love to push addictive drugs onto people so they can make literally $billions even if they know they don't truly help in the long term and can in fact eventually make matters worse, they often pick on the vulnerable who are desperate for a quick fix. In my opinion it's a terrible idea and what concerns me even more is that they will want to prescribe it to autistic people who aren't able to understand and will take it without knowing the long term consequences, worse still they will want to prescribe it to children who won't have a choice.

 

[Butterfly88]

Unfortunately there were children in this study, as they said the median age was 9 years and 10 months. I think meds are okay for high functioning autistic adults if they choose to take them, but otherwise I'm not thrilled.

 

[Flinty]

Unfortunately there were children in this study, as they said the median age was 9 years and 10 months. I think meds are okay for high functioning autistic adults if they choose to take them, but otherwise I'm not thrilled.

Can I add my opinion on giving children, and especially children under 10, cannabis or its close friends?

NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO!

Right now this country is having a lot of discussion about how to keep legalized marijuana away from minors. For some reason, having the stuff sold in liquor stores is considered a bad option.

 

[Fridgemagnetman]

Is this the same company that gave dwarves platform shoes?

Seeing if they would feel more confident if people didn't look down on them so much.

This stuff seems to get more idiotic every day.
Can't we just inject drugs into the earths core, it's obviously anxious?

How about cannibair?

I hope they don't read this...

 

[The Midge]

With links to psychosis, Schizophrenia, anxiety, memory loss and other effects what are these researchers taking. I hope this one doesn't get through the ethics board.

Doing such a trial on children seems a bit sick to me.

 

[Butterfly88]

I was on Zoloft when I was nine and I was okay but it has side effects for some people and there is much less research on marijuana.

 

[Flinty]

I hope this one doesn't get through the ethics board.

Doing such a trial on children seems a bit sick to me.

Maybe that's why they chose Chile for their trial; I suspect rules aren't as severe there.

 

[dragoncat16]

I can imagine that anyone would appear to have fewer social problems when they are high. I have found alcohol to have a similar effect, though I wouldn't recommend getting children drunk on a regular basis either.

 

[Butterfly88]

I can imagine that anyone would appear to have fewer social problems when they are high. I have found alcohol to have a similar effect, though I wouldn't recommend getting children drunk on a regular basis either.

Good point. I take Inderal, which I primarily take for anxiety, though it can help in social situations and I've heard it being given to kids with ASD. But honestly I'm not happy it's given to kids, because man can it make me lightheaded and I wouldn't want that to happen to helpless children. It's taken as needed and as a high functioning adult I can decide when to take it, when I feel the benefits will outweigh the side effects. For social situations, I mean parents should just let the kids be awkward until they are old enough to decide for themselves. I could see giving them a drug for self-injurious behavior or if they get violent but I don't see a need to force medication on children just to fit with neurotypical societal norms of what acceptable social behavior is.

 

[Mary Anne]

Can I add my opinion on giving children, and especially children under 10, cannabis or its close friends?

NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO!

Right now this country is having a lot of discussion about how to keep legalized marijuana away from minors. For some reason, having the stuff sold in liquor stores is considered a bad option.

I am thinking the drug company means CBD oil which has the hallucinating and “bad drug” qualities of cannabis taken out of it. CBD oil is legal, and used for all sorts of arthritis, and other pain. It does not get you high, and has always been legal. Media just loves to throw the word “Cannabis” around and watch people get bent out of shape.

 

[Mr Allen]

No, no, and did I mention, no?! On what Planet would this be anywhere near a good idea?! Cannabis is ILLEGAL almost everywhere in the known Universe for a start.

 

[Mary Anne]

No, no, and did I mention, no?! On what Planet would this be anywhere near a good idea?! Cannabis is ILLEGAL almost everywhere in the known Universe for a start.

CBD oil is a deriative if cannibis, and has been legal and available to children, and everyone for several years. It has all the “bad drug “ properties removed. It is used in pain management, and and other uses. It’s expensive, but readily available online anywhere.

 

[Homebrand]

I used to be addicted to weed because it helped with my mood and anger

 

[Judge]

Cannabis is ILLEGAL almost everywhere in the known Universe for a start.

Guess again.

Even Donald Trump is beginning to come around to accepting this political reality.

This map shows every state that has legalized marijuana

President Trump Signals Support for Easing Ban on Marijuana

 

[pjcnet]

I used to be addicted to weed because it helped with my mood and anger

I bet it made you worse when you were addicted? Or you had to have it just to feel "normal"?

Guess again.

Even Donald Trump is beginning to come around to accepting this political reality.

I'd say quite a few things if this was the right section, but lets just say I'm not a fan. Legalising cannabis for anything except a doctor's prescription is utterly stupid and will promote harder narcotics that so many people adversely affected by cannabis will move onto, it will destroy lives. Even doctors may not be responsible however, articles like this one are very worrying and certainly doesn't give me much confidence.

 

[Aspie_With_Attitude]

I hope marijuana become legal for medical use on people with Aspergers Syndromes in Australia.

The only problem is neurotypical sociapaths who loves their weed could use an Aspie for that advantage.

Marijuana helps with my condition.

 

[Panthro]

Never had the stuff a day in my life, but my former roommate was an aspie that loved the stuff. I wonder what his opinion would be about it? Probably the same as the aspie above me.

 

[Fitzo]

I can imagine that anyone would appear to have fewer social problems when they are high. I have found alcohol to have a similar effect, though I wouldn't recommend getting children drunk on a regular basis either.

Medicinal cannabis oil does not get you high, which is why there is a distinction between it and ordinary cannabis and is legal as opposed to illegal (with a few exceptions). It has anecdotally been shown to be beneficial for a wide ranging number of conditions, but there have not been sufficient high caliber trials and published results to prove conclusively which ones. I have no doubt that the reason for this is because it's horrendously expensive to conduct these trials and only the big multi billion dollar pharmaceutical companies can afford these. It is definitely not in their interests for these trials to be conducted because they can't patent a naturally occurring chemical and it could potentially blow a huge hole in their business.
Like any drug it will not have universal success with everyone, but I for one would prefer to try it over just about any pharmaceutical currently available and created in a laboratory. I doubt whether the side effects or appalling withdrawal symptoms would be anywhere near as severe or debilitating.

 

[Progster]

Medical cannibis oil has just been made legal in this country, and is useful for cancer treatnent as it stimulates the appetite and helps the patient to gain strength to fight the cancer. It helps to strengthen the immune system.