Incannex to trial drug for inflammatory conditions

Melbourne cannabinoid and psychedelic medicine manufacturer Incannex Healthcare will go ahead with phase 1 clinical trials of its combination anti-inflammatory pharmaceutical IHL-675A for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease and lung inflammation.

IHL-675A is a combination cannabinoid drug comprising cannabidiol (‘CBD’) and hydroxychloroquine (‘HCQ’) which the company said outperforms either CBD and HCQ alone in treating inflammatory disease.

The company announced it has received human ethics committee approval for the trial which will measure the safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetic profiles of IHL-675A.

Patient recruitment for the trial, which will be conducted at CMAX Clinical Research in Adelaide and managed by Avance Clinical, is anticipated to begin in August 2022.

Subject to clinical success, the results of the phase 1 clinical trial will form part of three U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) investigational new drug applications for each of the three conditions.

Incannex CEO Joel Latham said; “There’s a growing trend whereby patients are using CBD to treat, or supplement their existing treatments, for inflammation disorders.

“We have observed in established models of inflammation that IHL-675A is a stronger anti-inflammatory cannabinoid-based drug than CBD administered alone, hence we are delighted and excited to take IHL-675A to the clinic for the first time”.

Incannex said the drug had been manufactured by its formulation partner in readiness for the trials, and factories in Canada, the United States and Australia could quickly ramp up production to commercial quantities.

Picture: Incannex Healthcare

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