A new pill based on a cannabis compound could be the key to a good night’s sleep for chronic insomniacs.
A clinical trial by Melbourne biotech company Avecho is recruiting sleep-deprived Australians to test the bedtime capsule.
Taken once a day at bedtime, the capsule contains cannabidiol, or CBD for short.
It is a synthetic drug chemically similar to cannabis that mimics the plant’s sedative properties.
“It’s pharmaceutical grade, it’s not an oil, it’s not medical cannabis,” says Avecho CEO Dr Paul Gavin.
The company will conduct a clinical trial of a CBD (cannabidiol) drug for the treatment of episodic insomnia, which is a sleep disorder that lasts between one and three months.
The company will then seek approval from the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), which regulates the drug.
“It’s a big trial, 519 patients, three treatment groups and really comparing the effect of CBD to a placebo,” Dr Gavin said.
Insomnia sufferers interested in volunteering for the capsule trial should be aware that strict patient criteria apply.
To find out more, visit the trial website.
Leading sleep expert Associate Professor Darren Mansfield, from Monash Health’s Sleep Service, said the collective insomnia was partly due to the 24/7 demands of modern life.
“At any given time, 10 per cent of the adult population is experiencing a persistent form of insomnia,” Professor Mansfield said.
“We have a gig economy, we have people working two jobs, we have people working shifts.”
