New US drug research is said to have shown that the compound fenofibrate, marketed by Abbevie as Tricor and by others under varying brand names, can provide the benefits of medical marijuana without unwanted hallucinatory effects.

Reports published in the April issue of The FASEB Journal said fenofibrate may benefit a wider range of health issues, such as pain, appetite stimulation and nausea, along with immune and various psychiatric and neurological conditions, and this could pave the way for a new class of drugs to address such conditions.

In trials leading up to the discovery, Richard S Priestly of the School of Life Sciences at the medical school at the University of Nottingham in the UK and his colleagues cultured cells containing cannabinoid receptors and exposed them to a tracer compound binding them with the receptors.

The researchers found that fenofibrate was able to displace the tracer, which suggested that it also binds to the receptors. Previously, the compound's mechanism of action was believed to be through a different family of receptors.

Results of the study suggest, the team said, that at least some of the effects of fenofibrate may be controlled by cannabinoid receptor and that these receptors may be a future target for drugs.