THC and CBD combination rapidly reduces advanced dementia agitation

A combination of CBD and THC rapidly and significantly reduces agitation in hospice-eligible people with dementia, suggest topline results from the Phase 2 LiBBY (Life's End Benefits of cannaBidiol and tetrahYdrocannabinol) clinical trial. The findings were reported for the first time at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference 2026 in London and online.

"This is a robustly positive, randomized, controlled trial that represents a major step forward in treatment for a population that has been historically overlooked in clinical research," said lead investigator Dr. Jacobo Mintzer, psychiatrist at the Ralph H. Johnson VA Healthcare System and professor, College of Health Professions, Medical University of South Carolina. "We now have evidence supporting a new and very effective treatment approach for agitation that may be appropriate for people in the final stages of dementia at the end of life, offering them grace and peace in what is often an extremely difficult time for patients and their families."

The multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study evaluated a novel oral formulation (2 mg THC/100 mg CBD dissolved in digestible oil, provided twice a day) in 120 participants with dementia who were eligible for or received hospice care and were experiencing clinically significant agitation. The trial achieved its primary and key secondary endpoints.

Overall adverse event rates were similar between groups (46.7% vs. 42.4%). Over 12 weeks, 23.3% of participants in the treatment arm experienced serious adverse events, compared with 11.9% in the placebo arm. Investigators determined that none of the serious adverse events were related to the study medication.