PATIENT DIED AFTER CANNABIS TRIAL, INQUEST HEARS

A 69-year-old woman developed severe mental health problems after
taking part in trials of a cannabis-based treatment and died five
months later, an inquest heard today.

Rene Anderson, a diabetic, began to become "confused and intoxicated"
just three days after starting to take the drug Sativex, which is
derived from cannabis.

A coroner was told how Mrs Anderson, of Silkstone Close, Sheffield,
was admitted to hospital after her mental state had deteriorated so
much "she was not the same person".

The inquest, which could have far-ranging implications for the use of
drugs derived from the cannabis plant, heard how retired supermarket
supervisor Mrs Anderson's physical condition declined in hospital
until she died on March 3 last year from acute kidney failure.

She had been taking part in a trial supervised by diabetes expert Dr
Solomon Tesfaye, who told the court he wanted to investigate whether
cannabis could provide useful relief from the severe pain experienced
by diabetic neuropathy sufferers.

He said Sativex, which is not yet licensed in the UK but has been
granted a licence in Canada, had shown good results in Multiple
Sclerosis sufferers.

The consultant told the inquest he asked the drug firm GM
Pharmaceuticals to supply Sativex for the Sheffield trial in diabetic
neuropathy patients, and the research was funded by Diabetes UK.

Dr Tesfaye said he was first aware of Mrs Anderson's case when her
family complained about her mental problems, just days after her
treatment began. He said: "My understanding was that there was some
confusion and intoxication, as if being drunk."

The doctor said the dose of the drug, which is taken using an oral
spray, was reduced on advice from GM Pharmaceuticals, but Mrs
Anderson's daughter, Jackie Sadler, rang back two weeks later to tell
his colleague of her mother's deterioration.

Dr Tesfaye added: "She said to him that her mother was not the same
person. He used those words."

Sheffield Coroner Chris Dorries, sitting at the city's Medico-Legal
Centre, heard how Mrs Anderson suffered a series of physical problems
after she was admitted to hospital, including pneumonia, culminating
in her death at another city hospital, the Northern General.

Pathologist John Shortland told the inquest kidney failure had
followed respiratory problems which had been caused by a number of
factors relating to her illness. He agreed that the immobility caused
by her illness could have played a part in her decline.

The coroner said the purpose of the inquest was to examine what links
there were, if any, between the experimental treatment and the
physical deterioration which led to Mrs Anderson's death. He said it
would "try to establish whether there is a clear and direct link or,
indeed a clear and indirect link between the drug that was taken on
trial and the death."

Mr Dorries said he was aware of academic literature which suggested
some people may have a genetic predisposition to mental health
problems after taking cannabis. He said that consideration of this
debate would form part of the inquest, but that he was not sure at
this stage what relevance it had to Mrs Anderson's death.

Speaking before today's hearing, the Anderson family's solicitor
Richard Starkie said: "If it is found that Sativex did in fact play a
part in her illness or death, it would clearly raise some very
important questions as to the safety of the drug."

He declined to say whether Mrs Anderson had a previous history of
mental illness, but added: "There is no disputing that Mrs Anderson
did get pain relief from the drug, but it also raises the question of
who should not have this drug."

Ms Sadler said: "Our mother was a wonderful woman who still had a
great deal of life in her. We are still in the dark as to how she
became so ill and why she died and none of the medical experts
involved have yet been able to answer our questions."

But a spokesman for GM Pharmaceuticals said he was surprised and
disappointed that Mr Starkie had pre-empted the conclusion of the
inquest. He added: "This is a complex case involving a patient with a
serious and long-standing illness, who finally succumbed to pneumonia
and kidney failure. She was taking a wide range of medicine both
before and after her brief involvement in the Sativex trial."

The inquest is expected to last five to six days.