ABSTRACT
Background
Cannabis-based medicinal products (CBMPs) are increasingly demonstrating effectiveness in treating a wide range of conditions, with a relatively high safety profile in clinical usage compared to other prescription pain medications and few contraindications. Consultation and other prescription-related costs are, at present, higher for CBMPs than for some other treatment options, leading to some concern around wider prescribing.
Research design and Methods
An early cost-effectiveness model was developed to estimate the impact of prescribing CBMPs alone and/or in addition to analgesics, physiotherapy, and cognitive behavioral therapy for chronic pain in the UK for 1 year.
Results
Due to their comparative effectiveness, CBMPs were found to be cost saving. Various scenarios were model tested; in all scenarios where CBMPs decrease pain-level states, less resource use is required. Increased efficacy of 5% was conservatively assumed based on current Real-World Evidence. In this scenario, CBMPs were significantly more cost-effective, and as costs relating to the prescribing of these continue to fall, relative savings are predicted to increase.
Conclusion
These findings highlight the substantial cost saving that CBMPs may represent for the treatment of chronic pain patients, and the benefits for healthcare providers as a treatment for this often hard-to-treat population
Read study. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14737167.2024.2412248?src=
Also Read
Medical cannabis could save NHS £4 billion each year
Allowing medical cannabis to be prescribed on the NHS for chronic pain could save the state healthcare provider almost £4 billion annually, according to a new research study.
The research found that when a patient was prescribed medical cannabis for chronic pain, instead of alternative treatments, this saved the NHS £729 each year, as well as improving health outcomes.
If this were available as a treatment to the 5.45 million people with moderately or severely disabling chronic pain, it would equate to a £3.97 billion annual saving to the NHS.
The savings came from reductions in the usage of other prescription drugs (such as opioids), fewer GP and hospital appointments, and reduced spending on alternative therapies and treatments.
Prof. Mike Barnes, of Cannabis Industry Council and Drug Science, said:
“Our research shows the NHS could save £4 billion every year, simply by facilitating prescription of medical cannabis for chronic pain – which is already legal to prescribe.
“This seems an obvious win-win for the Government, particularly given high NHS waiting lists, Government funding challenges, and the number of long-term unemployed people.
Additionally, the report also found prescribing medical cannabis on the NHS for chronic pain would reduce the amount of time taken off work by 27 hours per patient, as well as increasing their individual earnings by hundreds of pounds.
Overall, prescribing cannabis for chronic pain could improve the UK economy by £5.45 billion annually (£1,037 per patient).
