Ananda Pharma’s ACTiON Trial Enters Phase 2 After First UK Patient Dose

The ACTiON trial moves MRX1 into Phase 2

The ACTiON study is being led by Professor Marie Fallon at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. It received an Efficacy and Mechanism Evaluation (EME) grant from the UK’s National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), a non-dilutive award that involves independent scientific scrutiny before approval. A separate report on the UK CBD trial also identifies ACTiON as a Phase 2 study evaluating MRX1 in chemotherapy-induced neuropathy.

Ananda Pharma manufactured the MRX1 investigational product in 2025 and delivered it to the University of Edinburgh’s central pharmacy on 6 June 2026. The first patient began dosing around a week later, according to the company’s account of the programme. The first-dose announcement therefore marks the start of patient treatment within the study, not the publication of an efficacy result.

Why chemotherapy-induced neuropathy remains a serious problem

CIPN is nerve damage caused by chemotherapy. The condition can produce persistent numbness, tingling and pain in the hands and feet, and symptoms may continue long after chemotherapy has ended. The source account describes it as a debilitating complication for which no effective therapies currently exist.

Its clinical importance extends beyond the symptoms themselves. When neuropathy becomes severe, oncologists may have to reduce a patient’s chemotherapy dose or stop treatment before the planned course is complete. That creates a difficult balance between managing treatment-related harm and maintaining cancer treatment, with the source noting that dose changes can increase the risk of death or extend treatment duration.

That burden is why the ACTiON study matters as a research question. It is not testing cannabis use generally, but a defined, company-developed oral formulation in a specific chemotherapy-related condition. The study’s purpose is to determine whether MRX1 can provide evidence of benefit in CIPN while continuing to establish its safety and clinical profile.

• CIPN can involve numbness, tingling and pain in the hands and feet.
• Symptoms may persist after chemotherapy has ended.
• Severe neuropathy can lead oncologists to reduce or stop chemotherapy dosing.
• The condition is described as a major unmet need in oncology supportive care.

What is known about MRX1 before the Phase 2 study

MRX1 is Ananda Pharma’s proprietary CBD-based oral solution. Its formulation is described as patent-pending, and the product was manufactured specifically for use as an investigational product in the ACTiON programme. The oral route is part of the formulation being studied, rather than a recommendation for people to self-treat chemotherapy-related symptoms.

Ananda completed a Phase 1 pharmacokinetic trial of MRX1 earlier in 2026. The company reported a clean safety profile across 20 participants, and that finding supported progression into Phase 2. Pharmacokinetic and early safety findings can help a programme move forward, but they do not establish that a treatment is effective for CIPN. That question remains for the later-stage study.

The distinction is important in a field where the word CBD can refer to very different products and research settings. Cannabivo’s CBD as a Drug: Real Doses, Effects and Risks provides broader background on why a regulated investigational formulation should not be treated as interchangeable with general consumer CBD products.

“This is gold standard work and we are honoured to be part of it.”

Melissa Sturgess, Chief Executive Officer of Ananda Pharma

Why the NIHR grant carries weight in the UK

The NIHR’s involvement gives the ACTiON study significance beyond the funding itself. The EME grant is non-dilutive, meaning it does not require the company to give up equity, but the source places particular emphasis on the grant’s review process. Independent scientific scrutiny takes place before approval, and the agency’s support signals that the research question has passed peer review and is considered medically warranted.

That does not turn MRX1 into an approved treatment, and it does not predict the eventual trial result. It does, however, distinguish ACTiON from an early commercial experiment operating without public research backing. The study is being conducted within a UK research framework that has judged the question sufficiently sound and important to warrant an EME award.

For patients and clinicians, the practical issue remains whether the trial can produce reliable evidence about CIPN. The first dose is therefore best understood as a transition from preparatory work and early safety testing to the next evidentiary stage.

The grant’s role can be summarised in three ways:

• It provides non-dilutive support for the ACTiON programme.
• It subjects the research proposal to independent scientific scrutiny before approval.
• It indicates that the CIPN research question passed peer review and was considered medically warranted.

ACTiON is part of a narrower pain-focused strategy

The ACTiON milestone also reflects a change in Ananda Pharma’s business and research strategy. The company accelerated a pivot in the previous year after exiting an NIHR-funded epilepsy trial and withdrawing from public markets. It then concentrated capital on MRX1 and its pain pipeline.

Ananda now has two active Phase 2 programmes running concurrently. ACTiON is focused on chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy, while ENDOCAN is evaluating MRX1 in endometriosis-associated pain. The two studies address different indications, but they use the same investigational formulation and give the company two opportunities to develop evidence around MRX1 in pain-related conditions.

The source says both programmes are now underway, creating the possibility that Phase 2 readouts from two separate indications could emerge within a similar timeframe. No results or readout dates are provided, so the significance of that parallel development remains prospective rather than demonstrable.

The next question is whether the evidence holds

The first patient dose gives ACTiON a clear operational milestone, but the central test is still ahead. The study must show whether MRX1 can address the symptoms and treatment burden associated with CIPN in a way that is clinically meaningful and supported by trial evidence.

At this stage, the strongest established facts are the programme’s UK setting, its NIHR-backed status, the transition into Phase 2 and the completion of earlier pharmacokinetic work. The reported Phase 1 safety profile across 20 participants supports continuation, while the first patient dose confirms that the next phase has begun. Neither finding answers the efficacy question on its own.