It's the dope: First proof that microdosing cannabis can relieve pain without the high

A study by Syqe Medical is the first clinical trial to demonstrate that THC can be effectively delivered in such small amounts

A major breakthrough in the science of medical cannabis could be a major downer for hopeful potheads: all the medical benefits of tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, with none of the mind-altering effects that gave us large chunks of 60s and 70s culture.

For years, researchers have tried to develop marijuana with more cannabidiol, or CBD – whose medical benefits are broad and proven and doesn't have you dancing with Lucy in the Sky – and less THC, which certainly does.

Now Israeli researchers have shown that doses as small as 2 percent of the amount of THC usually administered in medical cannabis can give the required medical benefits.

In a new clinical study, Syqe Medical, an Israeli med-tech company based in Tel Aviv, has proved that extremely low and precise doses of inhaled THC – the principal psychoactive constituent of cannabis – can effectively relieve pain, while avoiding the common side effects associated with cannabis use.

It's the first scientific confirmation that microdosing – administering extremely low doses of active drug compounds to treat various conditions – actually works with THC in cannabis. Although widely championed, until now there has been scarce scientific evidence to support or even fully explore claims of microdosing benefits and safety.

“This study is the first to show that human sensitivity to THC is significantly greater than previously assumed, indicating that if we can treat patients with much higher precision, lower quantities of drug will be needed, resulting in fewer side effects and an overall more effective treatment,” says Perry Davidson, CEO of Syqe Medical, which was founded in Tel Aviv in 2011.

There are indications that THC helps to treat pain, nausea, loss of appetite and many other conditions. Syqe's breakthrough could re-set the use of cannabis by medical practitioners.

The placebo-controlled, double-blind, multi-dose study, published in the European Journal of Pain, was conducted at Rambam Medical Center in Israel and examined blood THC levels, pain relief, cognitive functions and psychoactivity.

The study shows that an optimally effective dose to relieve pain is just 500 micrograms of THC. Syqe patients consume 3-4 inhalations per day, each up to 500 micrograms. A typical medical cannabis patient consumes 1 gram of 15% THC cannabis per day, which contains 150,000 micrograms of THC.

The Syqe Selective-Dose Inhaler, the company’s novel drug delivery platform marketed in Israel by pharmaceutical giant Teva, allows physicians and patients to select microgram-level doses with unprecedented precision.

The study concluded that using the inhaler delivers significantly low and precise doses of THC, allowing the administration of inhaled cannabis-based medicines according to high pharmaceutical standards which can produce safe and effective analgesia in patients with chronic pain. 

These results are presumed to be due to the bioavailability-enhancing technologies of the Syqe platform in conjunction with its first in class selective-dosing capabilities. CE approval in Europe is pending. Syqe believes that the published study and the actual patient use data in Israel will be an important part of its planned FDA submission in the U.S.

“The Syqe drug delivery technology is also applicable to opioids and other compounds that, while potentially effective, are notoriously associated with dangerous side effects. The introduction of a tool to prescribe medications at such low doses with such high resolution may allow us to achieve treatment outcomes that previously were not possible,” Davidson says.

These findings may allow the establishment of a long-awaited industry milestone: a standardized therapeutic window for cannabis inhalation. By provably administering precise doses measured in micrograms and quantifying diminishing therapeutic returns versus increased psychoactivity, the study was able to document successful pain relief while minimizing potentially debilitating psychoactive side effects.

“We can conclude from the study results that low doses of cannabis may provide desirable effects while avoiding cognitive debilitations, significantly contributing to daily functioning, quality of life, and safety of the patient. The doses given in this study, being so low, mandate very high precision in the treatment modality. This precision is unique to the Syqe drug delivery technology, enabling cannabis dosing at pharmaceutical standards,” says Prof. Elon Eisenberg, lead researcher and Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology.

The Syqe Selective-Dose Inhaler allows for precise specification and personalization of cannabis treatment protocols that can be evaluated using accepted pharmaceutical practices, paving the way to increased research, applications, standards, acceptance and global usage of medical cannabis, and other drugs that may benefit from high-resolution drug delivery.

“Syqe Medical is a trailblazer in the field of medical cannabis by means of accurate microdosing utilizing the proprietary Syqe inhaler. We believe that the Syqe inhaler solves many of the safety, efficacy and regulatory issues regarding medical cannabis and we look forward to future positive developments from the company,” says Dr. Morris Laster, Medical Venture Partner at OurCrowd, an investor in Syqe.

The Syqe Selective-Dose Inhaler is the first of its kind medical device to provide predictable, precise, and consistent treatment at pharmaceutical standards. Unlike traditional inhalers, Syqe's breakthrough drug delivery technology introduces precision dose control, accurate electronic selective dosing, inhalation automation that ensures bioavailability with natural inspiration, and remote clinical monitoring. Utilizing this breakthrough technology, Syqe aims to relieve the suffering of as many patients as possible in the fastest possible way. First brought to market for use with medical cannabis, Syqe is exploring numerous molecules for a variety of therapeutic areas including – but not limited to – pain, CNS disorders, sleep, anxiety, and cancer.