Can a Low-THC cannabis extract calm the sudden psychiatric storm of PANS?

NCT ID NCT06621888

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Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed This study
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

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Status unknown
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First seen Sep 09, 2026 · Last updated Sep 10, 2026 · Updated 1 time

Summary

Researchers are testing a full-spectrum medicinal cannabis extract called NTI164, which contains 0.08% THC, in children with pediatric acute-onset neuropsychiatric syndrome (PANS). PANS causes sudden, severe obsessive-compulsive symptoms, restricted eating, and other psychiatric and behavioral changes. The trial enrolls children aged 1 to 17 who meet PANS criteria. Participants start at 5 mg/kg per day and increase to a maximum of 20 mg/kg over four weeks, then stay at their highest tolerated dose for eight weeks, with an option to continue for up to 54 weeks. Researchers measure changes in symptoms using parent questionnaires and check immune function through blood RNA sequencing.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance
a full-spectrum medicinal cannabis plant extract with 0.08% THC called NTI164
What this could lead to
If it works, NTI164 could offer a new way to ease the sudden, severe psychiatric and behavioral symptoms of PANS in children.
What could go wrong
This is a small, early-stage trial with only 18 children, so results may not hold up in larger studies. Cannabis-based medicines can cause drowsiness, mood changes, or other side effects, especially in children.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

Phase 1/2

Runs two stages together: safety and dose first, then whether the treatment works.

Participants

18 people

The number who actually took part.

Started

Jun 2023

Finished

Dec 2025

Lead sponsor

A company

The lead sponsor is a pharmaceutical, biotech, or medical-device company.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

1 year to 17 years

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Not accepted

This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * 1 - 17 years of age * Patients who fulfil PANS criteria * Acute onset of OCD or severely restricted food intake * Concurrent presentation of additional neuropsychiatric symptoms from at least 2 of the following 7 categories: anxiety, emotional lability/depression, irritability, aggression or severely oppositional behaviours, behavioural regression, deterioration in school performance, sensory or motor abnormalities (e.g. tics), somatic symptoms (e.g. sleep disturbances, enuresis or increase in urinary frequency) * Symptoms not better explained by a known neurologic or medical disorder (e.g. Sydenham's chorea) * RCADS-P scores of \>65 (a scale of anxiety, social phobia, panic disorder, OCD, and low mood, a score of \>65 infers moderate-significant impairment) * Other patient medications (e.g. anti-psychotics) must be stable for at least 12 weeks prior to trial participation Exclusion Criteria: * Infection and/or antibiotic use in the 2 weeks prior to trial participation (i.e. baseline blood tests and commencement of NTI164) * Recent changes to other patient medication (e.g. addition or escalation of anxiolytics, anti-depressants etc; medication dosage must be stable for at least 12 weeks prior to trial participation) * Intellectual disability preventing adequate assent from patient, or that would affect reporting throughout trial; patients with intellectual disability must still have the capacity to verbalise their symptoms/experiences * Ongoing immunomodulating or immunosuppressive treatment use in the previous 12 weeks, including steroids, IVIG, antibiotics, low-dose naltrexone, mycophenolate, Rituximab etc. * Currently using or has used recreational or medicinal cannabis or cannabinoid-based medications (e.g. Sativex ®, Epidiolex ®) in the previous 12 weeks and/or is unwilling or unable to abstain for the duration of the trial * Underlying renal impairment, cardiovascular issues (e.g. arrhythmia), current or previous thrombosis * Impaired hepatic function, defined as serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) or aspartate aminotransferase (AST) \> 2 x upper limit of normal (ULN) or total bilirubin (TBL) \> 2 x ULN; this criterion can only be confirmed once baseline laboratory results are available and participants who fail this criterion will not proceed in this study * Other diagnosed neurological condition likely to be contributing to OCD/neuropsychiatric symptoms (e.g. Huntington's disease)

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Monash Children's Hospital

    Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

  • The Childrens Hospital at Westmead

    Sydney, New South Wales, 2145, Australia

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