7th February 2021
Drug Science’s large scale observational study of medical cannabis has opened its first non-UK operation in Australia
Known as Project Twenty21 Australia, it will be run in collaboration with the Australasian College of Cannabinoid Medicine (also known as ACCM, and the research arm of Releaf Group Ltd).
Operational since 2019 in the UK, Project Twenty21 aims to improve access to medical cannabis for patients living with debilitating and chronic conditions. The new Australian study will complement this work by collecting data on the efficacy and safety of medicinal cannabis in the treatment of four key conditions (chronic pain, anxiety, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and multiple sclerosis) in the Australian population.
Study participants will be followed for 12 months, completing online questionnaires every three months to collect real-world data over the extended period. The study will be conducted at Releaf Clinics in St Kilda, Armadale (VIC), Fortitude Valley, Caloundra and Noosa Heads (QLD) and in new Releaf Clinics as they open up around Australia over the next 12 months. Information will be available publicly via the ACCM website and study results will be submitted to peer-reviewed journals for publication as well as presented at conferences.
Chief Scientific Officer Releaf Group and Co-Chief Investigator, Professor Kylie O’Brien PhD, says:
“Project Twenty21 in the UK is the largest medicinal cannabis study of its kind in Europe. By engaging at least 1000 patients locally, we intend to track the outcomes of their medicinal cannabis treatments to gain valuable insights and information which will contribute to improved patient care in Australia.”
Chief Executive of Drug Science, David Badcock, says:
“We’ve already begun collecting and analysing data that shows how medical cannabis can improve the quality of life for patients in the UK. By extending the study, we can build an even more convincing evidence base. And we can now clarify how medical cannabis could benefit thousands of seriously ill patients in Australia.”
Project Twenty21 Australia study is a joint collaboration between the ACCM and Drug Science in the UK. The Australian study is led by Professor Kylie O’Brien PhD, Chief Scientific Officer at Releaf Group Ltd (Adjunct Professor Torrens University) and Professor Justin Beilby, academic GP and clinical researcher, and involves an international team of researchers from Australia, the UK and the US.
The study is supported by Cann Global Limited, Beacon Medical Australia Pty Ltd (a wholly-owned subsidiary of VIVO Cannabis Inc. [TSE:VIVO]), Levin Health Limited, Infinity Wellness as Adelaide Compounding Pharmacy (INT) Pty Ltd, and Releaf Dispensaries Pty Ltd.