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RecruitingNCT05020028Updated Jun 9, 2026

Cannabidiol (CBD) in Pain Reduction for Knee Osteoarthritis

A Phase 2/3 interventional study of Cannabidiol (CBD) and Placebo in Knee Arthritis, sponsored by NYU Langone Health. Recruiting at 1 site in United States. Open to participants aged 40 Years to 75 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-06-09.

Sponsored by NYU Langone Health · Phase 2/3, Interventional, and Treatment

From the registry’s dates

  • Started Jun 2022; still recruiting 4 years 3 months later.
Phase
Phase 2/3
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
100
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
40 Years to 75 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

The purpose of this study is to see if cannabidiol (CBD) orally dissolving tablets (ODTs) can lessen pain, improve function, and improve patient satisfaction in cases of knee osteoarthritis. CBD comes from the cannabis plant and is non-psychoactive (i.e. does not produce a 'high' or altered mental state) as compared to tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), another compound found in cannabis. Researchers are studying different forms of CBD for potential use in treating pain, inflammation, and illnesses.

Read the detailed description

This will be a multi-center, double-blinded, randomized, placebo-controlled study. The study is comparing pain, outcomes, and patient satisfaction in two cohorts: patients with knee OA undergoing physiotherapy/home exercises who receive CBD and a placebo group with PT/home exercise program. Patients will be asked on treatment Day 1, 2, 7, and 14, 28, 42, and 84 to rate their pain according to the VAS scale. Additionally, patient satisfaction and clinical outcomes will be measured.

02

Conditions studied

  • Knee Arthritis
03

In context

Lead sponsor

NYU Langone Health is the lead sponsor of 1,391 studies on the registry; 254 are open to participants now.

Of its 227 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 191 (84%) have results posted.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
40 Years to 75 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

  • Patients presenting with knee osteoarthritis (KL Grade II-III)
  • Knee pain for at least three months, occurring in at least half of the days in that period
  • VAS ≥ 4
  • Patients ages 40-75, inclusive
  • If female patients are pre-menopausal they must be currently practicing effective forms of two types of birth control, which are defined as those, alone or in combination, that result in a low failure rate (less than 1% per year) when used consistently and correctly
  • Male patients must be using an effective form of contraception

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Knee Injections within the last 3 months (cortisone, PRP, hyaluronic acid)
  • Legally incompetent or mentally impaired (e.g., minors, Alzheimer's subjects, dementia, etc.)
  • Younger than 40 years of age
  • Older than 75 years of age
  • Any patient considered a vulnerable subject: pregnant women or fetuses, children, cognitively impaired adults, prisoners
  • History of cannabis abuse or dependence
  • History of coagulation abnormalities and thromboembolic disease or current abnormal coagulation test values
  • History of stroke or acute coronary syndromes within 3 months
  • Abnormal coagulation profile
  • Renal failure (serum creatinine > 250 μmol/L [2.83 mg/dL]) or liver cirrhosis
  • Patients that have been on opioid management for any reason just prior to the study
  • Patients with known inflammatory arthritis (such as rheumatoid arthritis, gout, pseudogout etc)
  • Patients with a large effusion
  • Patients with a BMI > 35
  • Patients meeting the DSM-V for major psychiatric illness, such as bipolar disorder
  • Patients diagnosed with major depression, psychosis, or substance abuse disorder
  • Patients with current or a history of suicidal ideation
  • Breastfeeding females
  • Abnormal LFTs
  • Patients with major neurological disorders, such as dementia, Parkinson's disease, cognitive impairment, epilepsy, history of traumatic brain/head injury, or seizures
  • Patients with moderate (Child-Pugh B) and severe hepatic impairment (Child-Pugh C).
  • Patients taking moderate or strong inhibitors of CYP3A4 and CYP2C19 (listed below) concomitantly will be considered for exclusion if determined to be clinically significant by the treating physicians
  • Patients taking strong CYP3A4 and CYP2C19 inducers (listed below) concomitantly will be considered for exclusion if determined to be clinically significant by the treating physicians
  • Patients taking substrates of UTG1A9, UTGB17, CYP2A1, CYP2B6, CYP2C8, CYP2C9 and CYP2C19 (listed below) concomitantly will be considered for exclusion if determined to be clinically significant by the treating physicians
05

Study design

Phase
Phase 2 / Phase 3
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
Single (Participant)
Enrollment
100 participants (estimated)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    CBD Group

    The first cohort will take two 25mg cannabidiol (total dose: 50mg) Orally Disintegrating Tablets (CBD ODT) three times daily for a maximum dose of 150mg per day.

    Drug: Cannabidiol (CBD)

  • Placebo comparator
    Placebo Group

    Cohort 2 will receive the same instructions, but with the placebo Orally Disintegrating Tablets (ODT) instead.

    Drug: Placebo

Interventions

  • DrugCannabidiol (CBD)

    Patients will be dispensed enough 25mg cannabidiol (CBD) Orally Disintegrating Tablets (ODT) to take a standard dose of 50mg three times daily for 84 days.

    Also known as: Cannabidiol

  • DrugPlacebo

    25mg Placebo ODT looks like the cannabidiol (CBD) Orally Disintegrating Tablets (ODT), but contains no active ingredients.

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. VAS Pain Severity Score

    A Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) will be used to measure differences in pain between patients receiving CBD with knee OA undergoing physiotherapy compared to patients who do not receive CBD. Patients rate their pain on a scale ranging from 0 (no pain) to 10 (worst pain imaginable). Total scores range from 0-10; higher scores indicates greater pain intensity.

    Time frame: Day 1

  2. VAS Pain Severity Score

    A Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) will be used to measure differences in pain between patients receiving CBD with knee OA undergoing physiotherapy compared to patients who do not receive CBD. Patients rate their pain on a scale ranging from 0 (no pain) to 10 (worst pain imaginable). Total scores range from 0-10; higher scores indicates greater pain intensity.

    Time frame: Day 2

  3. VAS Pain Severity Score

    A Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) will be used to measure differences in pain between patients receiving CBD with knee OA undergoing physiotherapy compared to patients who do not receive CBD. Patients rate their pain on a scale ranging from 0 (no pain) to 10 (worst pain imaginable). Total scores range from 0-10; higher scores indicates greater pain intensity.

    Time frame: Day 7

  4. VAS Pain Severity Score

    A Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) will be used to measure differences in pain between patients receiving CBD with knee OA undergoing physiotherapy compared to patients who do not receive CBD. Patients rate their pain on a scale ranging from 0 (no pain) to 10 (worst pain imaginable). Total scores range from 0-10; higher scores indicates greater pain intensity.

    Time frame: Day 14

  5. VAS Pain Severity Score

    A Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) will be used to measure differences in pain between patients receiving CBD with knee OA undergoing physiotherapy compared to patients who do not receive CBD. Patients rate their pain on a scale ranging from 0 (no pain) to 10 (worst pain imaginable). Total scores range from 0-10; higher scores indicates greater pain intensity.

    Time frame: Day 28

  6. VAS Pain Severity Score

    A Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) will be used to measure differences in pain between patients receiving CBD with knee OA undergoing physiotherapy compared to patients who do not receive CBD. Patients rate their pain on a scale ranging from 0 (no pain) to 10 (worst pain imaginable). Total scores range from 0-10; higher scores indicates greater pain intensity.

    Time frame: Day 42

  7. VAS Pain Severity Score

    A Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) will be used to measure differences in pain between patients receiving CBD with knee OA undergoing physiotherapy compared to patients who do not receive CBD. Patients rate their pain on a scale ranging from 0 (no pain) to 10 (worst pain imaginable). Total scores range from 0-10; higher scores indicates greater pain intensity.

    Time frame: Day 84

Secondary outcomes

  1. Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS)

    KOOS is a knee-specific instrument, developed to assess patients' opinion about their knee and associated problems. The five patient-relevant subscales of KOOS are scored separately: Pain (9 items); Symptoms (7 items); ADL Function (17 items); Sport and Recreation Function (5 items); Quality of Life (4 items). Patients rank each item using a 5-piont Likert scale ranging from 0 (No Problems) to 4 (Extreme Problems) and each of the five scores are calculated as the sum of the items included. Scores are transformed to a 0-100 scale, with zero representing extreme knee problems and 100 representing no knee problems.

    Time frame: Baseline

  2. Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS)

    KOOS is a knee-specific instrument, developed to assess patients' opinion about their knee and associated problems. The five patient-relevant subscales of KOOS are scored separately: Pain (9 items); Symptoms (7 items); ADL Function (17 items); Sport and Recreation Function (5 items); Quality of Life (4 items). Patients rank each item using a 5-piont Likert scale ranging from 0 (No Problems) to 4 (Extreme Problems) and each of the five scores are calculated as the sum of the items included. Scores are transformed to a 0-100 scale, with zero representing extreme knee problems and 100 representing no knee problems.

    Time frame: Week 6

  3. Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS)

    KOOS is a knee-specific instrument, developed to assess patients' opinion about their knee and associated problems. The five patient-relevant subscales of KOOS are scored separately: Pain (9 items); Symptoms (7 items); ADL Function (17 items); Sport and Recreation Function (5 items); Quality of Life (4 items). Patients rank each item using a 5-piont Likert scale ranging from 0 (No Problems) to 4 (Extreme Problems) and each of the five scores are calculated as the sum of the items included. Scores are transformed to a 0-100 scale, with zero representing extreme knee problems and 100 representing no knee problems.

    Time frame: Week 12

  4. Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS)

    KOOS is a knee-specific instrument, developed to assess patients' opinion about their knee and associated problems. The five patient-relevant subscales of KOOS are scored separately: Pain (9 items); Symptoms (7 items); ADL Function (17 items); Sport and Recreation Function (5 items); Quality of Life (4 items). Patients rank each item using a 5-piont Likert scale ranging from 0 (No Problems) to 4 (Extreme Problems) and each of the five scores are calculated as the sum of the items included. Scores are transformed to a 0-100 scale, with zero representing extreme knee problems and 100 representing no knee problems.

    Time frame: Week 60

  5. VAS Satisfaction with Pain Management Score

    A Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) will be used to measure patient satisfaction with pain management. Patients rate their satisfaction on a scale ranging from 0 (no satisfaction) to 10 (as satisfied as possible). Total scores range from 0-10; higher scores indicates greater satisfaction with pain management.

    Time frame: Day 1

  6. VAS Satisfaction with Pain Management Score

    A Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) will be used to measure patient satisfaction with pain management. Patients rate their satisfaction on a scale ranging from 0 (no satisfaction) to 10 (as satisfied as possible). Total scores range from 0-10; higher scores indicates greater satisfaction with pain management.

    Time frame: Day 2

  7. VAS Satisfaction with Pain Management Score

    A Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) will be used to measure patient satisfaction with pain management. Patients rate their satisfaction on a scale ranging from 0 (no satisfaction) to 10 (as satisfied as possible). Total scores range from 0-10; higher scores indicates greater satisfaction with pain management.

    Time frame: Day 7

  8. VAS Satisfaction with Pain Management Score

    A Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) will be used to measure patient satisfaction with pain management. Patients rate their satisfaction on a scale ranging from 0 (no satisfaction) to 10 (as satisfied as possible). Total scores range from 0-10; higher scores indicates greater satisfaction with pain management.

    Time frame: Day 14

  9. VAS Satisfaction with Pain Management Score

    A Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) will be used to measure patient satisfaction with pain management. Patients rate their satisfaction on a scale ranging from 0 (no satisfaction) to 10 (as satisfied as possible). Total scores range from 0-10; higher scores indicates greater satisfaction with pain management.

    Time frame: Day 28

  10. VAS Satisfaction with Pain Management Score

    A Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) will be used to measure patient satisfaction with pain management. Patients rate their satisfaction on a scale ranging from 0 (no satisfaction) to 10 (as satisfied as possible). Total scores range from 0-10; higher scores indicates greater satisfaction with pain management.

    Time frame: Day 42

  11. VAS Satisfaction with Pain Management Score

    A Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) will be used to measure patient satisfaction with pain management. Patients rate their satisfaction on a scale ranging from 0 (no satisfaction) to 10 (as satisfied as possible). Total scores range from 0-10; higher scores indicates greater satisfaction with pain management.

    Time frame: Day 84

  12. Number of Patients Requiring Rescue Corticosteroid Use

    Time frame: Up to Week 60

07

Study locations

1 of 1 sites recruiting
  • NYU Langone Health
    New York, New York 10016, United States
    • Michael Alaia, MD · Principal investigator
    Recruiting
08

References and documents

Individual participant data

Plan to share: No — The data will only be available to the researchers involved in this study.

No publications or documents are linked to this record.

09

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Jun 9, 2026, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
10

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT05020028
Lead sponsor
NYU Langone Health
Collaborators
Orcosa Inc.
Responsible party
Sponsor
First posted
Aug 25, 2021
Start date
Jun 22, 2022
Primary completion
Sep 2027 (estimated)
Completion
Sep 2027 (estimated)
Last update
Jun 9, 2026

Study contacts

Michael J Alaia, MD
Contact
michael.alaia@nyulangone.org
646-501-7223
Layne Estes
Contact
Layne.estes@nyulangone.org
Michael J Alaia, MD
principal investigator · NYU Langone Health

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
Yes
FDA-regulated drug
Yes
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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