UK biopharmaceutical company Ananda Pharma Limited announced on Friday that the first patient taking part in the ACTiON clinical trial investigating the efficacy of MRX1, Ananda's proprietary CBD-based drug candidate, in treatment of patients with chemotherapy induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN), has been recruited, randomised and has taken their first dose of either MRX1 or placebo on the trial.

The Phase 2 trial, led by Professor Marie Fallon of The University of Edinburgh and funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) as a non-dilutive Efficacy and Mechanism Evaluation (EME) grant, is designed to assess the efficacy and safety of MRX1 in the treatment of CIPN. It will also assess the impact of MRX1 on quality of life and healthcare utilisation. The trial is a double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study with a target enrolment of 92 participants.

Ananda Pharma said that CIPN is one of the most frequent chemotherapy side-effects but has no effective therapies and is considered a critical unmet medical need. In addition to continuing to affect patients following their cancer treatment it often means that chemotherapy dosing needs to be reduced or stopped during treatment and thus potentially increasing risk of death or duration of treatment.