Ananda Pharma has announced that the first participant has received a dose in its Phase 2 clinical trial investigating MRX1, the UK biopharmaceutical company's proprietary cannabidiol-based medicine, for chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN).

The milestone marks the start of patient dosing in the ACTiON study — a significant step for a condition that affects large numbers of cancer patients in the UK and internationally, yet has no widely accepted effective treatment.

What is the ACTiON trial?

The Phase 2 trial is led by Professor Marie Fallon of the University of Edinburgh and funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) through a non-dilutive Efficacy and Mechanism Evaluation (EME) grant.

It is designed to assess the efficacy and safety of MRX1 in patients with CIPN, as well as its impact on quality of life and healthcare utilisation.

The study is a double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover trial with a target enrolment of 92 participants. The first patient has been recruited, randomised, and received either MRX1 or placebo.

Ananda Pharma's response

Ananda Pharma develops regulatory-approved CBD medicines for complex, chronic conditions. Alongside CIPN, the company has lead programmes in endometriosis.

Melissa Sturgess, chief executive of Ananda Pharma, said: "We are delighted to see the first patient dosed in the CIPN trial using our patent pending MRX1 formulation. This is gold standard work and we are honoured to be part of it."

MRX1 is Ananda's proprietary CBD-based drug candidate. The company describes the ACTiON trial as part of its broader effort to bring rigorously tested cannabis-derived medicines into mainstream clinical use.

Why CIPN matters

Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy is one of the most frequent side effects of cancer treatment. It can cause pain, numbness and tingling in the hands and feet, and often persists after chemotherapy has finished.

In many cases, symptoms force clinicians to reduce chemotherapy doses or stop treatment early, potentially affecting outcomes and extending the course of care.

Despite its prevalence, CIPN is widely regarded as a critical unmet medical need, with limited effective therapies available on the NHS or elsewhere.

Ananda Pharma cites substantial patient numbers:

- More than 140,000 new cases of CIPN per year in the UK, with prevalence running into almost one million patients - Approximately 400,000 new patients each year in the United States, at an estimated annual healthcare cost of $2.5 billion

What this means for UK medical cannabis

The ACTiON trial sits at the intersection of two fast-moving areas: prescription cannabis research and real-world cancer care.

While medical cannabis has been available on prescription in the UK since 2018, much of the evidence base remains fragmented. Phase 2 trials such as this — funded through NIHR and run at leading academic centres — are the kind of studies policymakers and clinicians look to when assessing whether cannabis-derived medicines should move beyond niche prescribing.

The crossover design, placebo control and NIHR backing give the trial credibility within UK medical research. If MRX1 shows meaningful benefit, it could strengthen the case for CBD-based medicines in oncology supportive care — though results remain some way off.

Next steps

Ananda Pharma will now continue recruiting towards its 92-participant target. Further readouts will depend on trial progress, data monitoring and peer-reviewed publication.

For cancer patients and advocates, the first dosing is a symbolic but important moment: a regulated CBD medicine being tested through NHS-linked research infrastructure for a condition where current options fall short.

Source: Ananda Pharma press release, 17 June 2026.