A study has shown that cannabidiol (CBD), a key component of medical cannabis, induces the death of lung cancer cells when administered in conjunction with a chemical chemotherapy drug. CBD, extracted from the flowers and leaves of the cannabis plant, has been reported in numerous studies to relieve pain and inhibit excessive excitement without addiction, proving effective for epilepsy, cancer, Parkinson's disease, dementia, and depression.
NeoCannBio confirmed the therapeutic effect of the combination therapy of CBD and the chemical chemotherapy drug etoposide in non-small cell lung cancer through cell experiments, it noted on the 8th. Lung cancer is classified as small cell lung cancer when the cancer cells are small and non-small cell lung cancer when they are large. Non-small cell lung cancer accounts for 70-80% of all lung cancers.
NeoCannBio, a technology affiliate of the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), is pursuing the production of raw pharmaceuticals and the development of drugs. The results of this research, conducted in collaboration with KIST researchers Kim Young-joo and Kim Tae-jung, as well as Professor Choi Kyung-chul of the pharmacology department at Seoul Asan Medical Center, were published in May online edition of the Nature sister journal "Experimental & Molecular Medicine."
According to the researchers, the cell experiment confirmed that the combination of CBD and etoposide significantly reduced the survival rate of non-small cell lung cancer cells. This is the result of the two drugs blocking the activation of signaling pathways (PI3K-AKT-mTOR) involved in cell growth and protein production. The researchers also identified that this effect varies depending on the state of the anti-cancer gene "p53 gene," which induces the death of cancer cells and prevents abnormal cell proliferation and mutations.
It was also demonstrated that CBD induces anti-cancer effects in a new way, independent of traditional cannabinoid receptors or the temperature-sensitive protein TRP channels. The combination therapy of CBD and etoposide induces autophagic cell death in non-small cell lung cancer with normal p53 genes and enhances therapeutic efficacy by inhibiting carcinogenic pathways. If developed as a CBD therapeutic agent, a new oral cancer drug could emerge.
The research team is conducting several studies to confirm the therapeutic efficacy of etoposide and various other chemotherapy drugs for various cancers, including liver cancer and colon cancer, in addition to non-small cell lung cancer. In particular, combination therapy for liver cancer is also being conducted in animal experiments. Results of the ongoing studies will be published in future papers.
Previously, NeoCannBio also announced the anti-cancer synergy effect on liver cancer cells through the combination of CBD and the chemotherapy drug cabozantinib in the international journal "Cancers" in 2023.
Ham Jeong-yeob, CEO of NeoCannBio, said, "We have obtained important research results that can be used in pharmaceuticals by utilizing CBD, the main component of medical cannabis and a non-psychoactive component, and will actively promote further research on combination therapy." He added, "We will expand our raw pharmaceutical business to enter the global medical cannabis market, projected to be about 109 trillion won by 2027, by establishing a network of collaborations with research institutes and pharmaceutical companies both domestically and internationally."
References
Experimental & Molecular Medicine (2025), DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s12276-025-01444-x