CBD for COVID?

CBD for COVID?

Early research has shown that the non-psychoactive compound cannabidiol (CBD) derived from marijuana might help prevent or treat COVID-19, warranting additional evaluation in clinical studies.

Various lab studies of CBD have demonstrated promising results as potential COVID treatments. For example, an interdisciplinary team of researchers from the University of Chicago found evidence that CBD can inhibit infection by the COVID-19 virus in human cells and in mice. The study, published on January 20 in Science Advances, found CBD demonstrated a significant negative association with positive COVID tests in a national sample of medical records of patients taking the FDA-approved drug for treating epilepsy. As a result, researchers say clinical studies should be conducted to address whether cannabidiol could eventually be used as a preventative or early treatment for COVID-19.

“Our results suggest that CBD can block SARS-CoV-2 infection at early stages of infection, and CBD administration is associated with a lower risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection in humans,” wrote the researchers. “Furthermore, the active compound in patients is likely to be 7-OH-CBD, the same metabolite implicated in CBD treatment of epilepsy. The substantial reduction in SARS-CoV-2 infection risk of approximately an order of magnitude in patients who took FDA-approved CBD highlights the potential efficacy of this drug in combating SARS-CoV-2 infection. Finally, the ability of CBD to inhibit replication of MHV raises the possibility that CBD may have efficacy against new pathogenic viruses arising in the future.”

In other research, high doses of cannabigerol (CBG) and cannabidiolic acid (CBDA) prevent the coronavirus from breaking into cells, as reported during January in the Journal of Natural Products. The doses tested were not toxic to cells, according to researchers. The tested CBD was more than 98 percent pure, whereas purity in commercial products is much less. The study was led by Richard van Breemen, a researcher with Oregon State’s Global Hemp Innovation Center, College of Pharmacy and Linus Pauling Institute.

“ … In follow-up virus neutralization assays, cannabigerolic acid and cannabidiolic acid prevented infection of human epithelial cells by a pseudovirus expressing the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and prevented entry of live SARS-CoV-2 into cells,” researchers wrote. “Importantly, cannabigerolic acid and cannabidiolic acid were equally effective against the SARS-CoV-2 alpha variant B.1.1.7 and the beta variant B.1.351. Orally bioavailable and with a long history of safe human use, these cannabinoids, isolated or in hemp extracts, have the potential to prevent as well as treat infection by SARS-CoV-2.

Canadian company Akseera Pharma Corp. is leading research surrounding CBD and COVID-19. Specifically, the company has collaborated with premier universities to study the potential of CBD as a therapeutic.

Akseera has been scientifically evaluating the medicinal benefits of synthetic cannabinoids since 2016. These research projects have demonstrated the huge untapped potential in various unmet healthcare needs, including the prevention and prophylaxis of COVID-19.

According to Prof. Robin Duncan, the lead investigator at the University of Waterloo, even before the immune system notices a virus is present; infected cells in the lungs or the digestive tract can sense and respond to this virus. This occurs by activating innate responses within cells. However, with COVID-19, this response is not as effective, resulting in high infection rates.

With an RNA-type virus such as SARS-CoV-2, cells should activate an innate system that cuts up the viral genome, which additionally causes infected cells to undergo a process called apoptosis – a sort of controlled cell death that gets rid of infected cells early on. This process could stop an infection, or slow its spread in the body or to others. When Askeera combined the company’s patented dose of CBD with these viral proteins, they had a much better ability to activate this system and to activate apoptosis.

According to company management, further, and more exciting, is that in cells that have not been exposed to the SARS-CoV-2 proteins, CBD additionally appeared to prime the innate anti-viral system of cells, increasing their readiness to respond to viral infection – and that this happened without activating the process of apoptosis in healthy cells.

Askeera says this is supported by evidence from users of a high-dose pharmaceutical CBD licensed in the United States for treating rare types of epilepsy. In that study, patients taking prescription high-dose CBD demonstrated a 10-fold lower risk of testing positive for COVID-19.

The company owns patents for use of CBD for COVID-19 demonstrated in this research; in addition to the patents for the appropriate dosages, delivery systems and timing of administration with CBD for COVID prevention and treatment.

While vaccines are the first line of defense, Akseera’s product may supplement vaccines or be of use in population groups that do not have access to the vaccine; particularly in countries where vaccinations face logistical challenges. Pharmaceutical CBD is FDA-approved for children older than 1 year and prescribed for childhood epilepsy. According to the company, a proven safety profile makes Akseera’s patented CBD product a potential intervention to prevent spread of COVID-19 among this age group, that may not be eligible for vaccines.

Akseera Pharma President Dr. Shreema Merchant said, “Synthetic or lab created CBD has lived up to our name, in that it is proving to be an ‘Akseer’ (Sanskrit for potent) treatment option for unmet medical needs; including COVID-19.”

Akseera CEO Manit Patel stated, “We are committed to translate this research into prescription products that will benefit the world.”