The Potential Clinical Implications and Importance of Drug Interactions Between Anticancer Agents and Cannabidiol in Patients With Cancer

• Published in: Journal of pharmacy practice Vol. 33; no. 4; p. 506
• Main Authors: Opitz, Brandon J, Ostroff, Marissa L, Whitman, Arin C
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01.08.2020
• Subjects: Antineoplastic Agents; Cannabidiol; Cannabis; Drug Interactions; Humans; Neoplasms - drug therapy; cannabidiol; inhibition; drug interaction; anticancer agent; transporter
• ISSN: 1531-1937
• DOI: 10.1177/0897190019828920

The objective of this review was to identify and examine the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic interactions between cannabidiol (CBD)-only products, such as CBD oil, and anticancer agents. A literature search of PubMed (1980 to September 2018) and the Cochrane Collection (1980 to September 2018) was performed using the following search terms: "cannabidiol," "cancer," "cannabis," "marijuana," and "interaction," as well as any combination of these terms. Literature was excluded if it did not appear in the search when limited to the "full text" filter on PubMed, if it was not published in the English language, or if it did not explore potential pharmacodynamic or pharmacokinetic interactions of CBD and anticancer agents. There were 10 studies that met these inclusion criteria. The majority of the facts regarding the interactions with CBD were found using in vitro studies and the true in vivo implications are not well-known. Minimal data were available regarding the interactions between CBD and anticancer agents. However, pharmacists should always consider the possibility of interactions and their consequences whenever they are aware of a patient using CBD products.