Share

Market insight in association with

The boom in medical cannabis research is set to continue

Cannabis has been receiving some serious media attention in 2018, and a rise in medical cannabis research is following.

Canada became the second country in the world to legalise it for recreational use, after Uruguay. From a medical standpoint, the first patient in the UK finally succeeded in obtaining a long-term personal licence for medical cannabis, a move that could pave the way for reforms on its medical use.

In the US, the FDA approved the first pure cannabis-derived drug, Epidiolex (cannabidiol, CBD), a liquid formulation developed by GW Pharmaceuticals for the treatment of two rare and severe forms of epilepsy: Lennox-Gastaut syndrome and Dravet syndrome

Medical cannabis research and the Epidiolex milestone

Naturally occurring cannabis contains a group of compounds known as cannabinoids. To date, only two cannabinoids have been well characterised, CBD and THC. The former is the active ingredient in Epidiolex and has anticonvulsant properties, while the latter is the psychoactive compound that can cause the “high”.

The approval of Epidiolex is certainly a major milestone, especially for the epilepsy community; however it is worth noting that CBD is still a Schedule I substance because it is a chemical component of the cannabis plant, meaning that the drug cannot reach the market until the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) changes how it classifies this compound.

It is expected that CBD will be downgraded to a Schedule II or III drug, with the DEA’s decision being announced by the end of September at the latest.

The final decision will be crucial for Epidiolex’s launch, although it does not mean that that cannabis itself will be downgraded too; not for the time being, at least. However, the downgrading of CBD is likely to stimulate more research into cannabis-based products.

The future of medical cannabis research

According to GlobalData, there are currently 60 ongoing clinical trials with cannabis-based products.

The majority of these products are being tested in pain or psychosis, although there is a wide variety of indications where cannabis-based products could potentially be used.

The fact that cannabis has been classed as Schedule I, the highest classification possible, has certainly posed a hurdle in R&D, but with the support of scientific data we have been seeing in recent years and the upcoming downgrade of CBD specifically, we can expect a boom for medical marijuana in the near future

For more insight and data, visit the GlobalData Report Store.

Share this article

Go to article: Home | Trust In Big PharmaGo to article: EditorialGo to article: NSFGo to article: ContentsGo to article: Daiichi JitsugyoGo to article: NewsGo to article: FreudenbergGo to article: The Pharma Industry BriefingGo to article: Fisher Clinical Services Company InsightGo to article: Fisher Clinical ServicesGo to article: The People vs Big Pharma: tackling the industry’s trust issuesGo to article: Scandinavian Health Ltd. Company InsightGo to article: Scandinavian Health Ltd.Go to article: Humira: the highs and lows of the world’s most successful drug Go to article: Wilhelm Haselmeier GmbH & Co KG Company InsightGo to article: Wilhelm Haselmeier GmbH & Co. KGGo to article: Gene therapy: talking smart solutions with Bluebird BioGo to article: Moehs Iberica Company InsightGo to article: Moehs Iberica SLGo to article: A research headache: improving the understanding of chronic migraine Go to article: SensitechGo to article: HOF Sonderanlagenbau Company InsightGo to article: HOF SonderanlagenbauGo to article: Philanthropy in pharma: a look inside the ISPE FoundationGo to article: DelSiTechGo to article: Novel Oral Therapies Are An Unmet Need For Ulcerative ColitisGo to article: PhoenixGo to article: FDA removes key barrier to US biosimilar developmentGo to article: Nipro PharmaPackagingGo to article: Pfizer price hikes: do rare cancer drugs warrant higher prices?Go to article: AlpexGo to article: Head-to-head: competing for the most effective psoriasis drugGo to article: Mecmesin Company InsightGo to article: MecmesinGo to article: Takeda to seek label expansion for Ninlaro in multiple myelomaGo to article: Capsugel Company InsightGo to article: Contract Pharmaceuticals Limited CanadaGo to article: Epilepsy: Zogenix’s ZX008 set for showdown with GW Pharma’s EpidiolexGo to article: EcocoolGo to article: Abiogen PharmaGo to article: Illegal online pharmacies: how endemic are they?Go to article: Global Freight Solutions LtdGo to article: The boom in medical cannabis research is set to continueGo to article: AtoZ-CRO GmbH Company InsightGo to article: AtoZ-CRO GmbHGo to article: Population boom will boost acute stroke market, particularly in ChinaGo to article: Pall BiotechGo to article: Cryo StoreGo to article: Watch Alibaba instead of Amazon in healthcareGo to article: WIKA - Disaster preventionGo to article: AstraZeneca’s Lynparza maintains lead in PARP inhibitor raceGo to article: G.F.Go to article: Erdmann Design SwitzerlandGo to article: CMV presents a serious concern in HIV+ personsGo to article: BEA TechnologiesGo to article: BaxterGo to article: bDMARD therapy: adherence in the first year is key to successGo to article: Pharma Support Services Ltd Company InsightGo to article: Pharma Support Services LtdGo to article: End the struggle: pathways to HEAL the opioid crisisGo to article: LaudaGo to article: AbbVie poised to overtake Gilead as hepatitis C leaderGo to article: ILC Dover IncGo to article: ViiV results show the importance of INIs to future HIV treatmentGo to article: PfanstiehlGo to article: Novartis acquires rights to atopic dermatitis candidate MOR106Go to article: Niconex Medical LtdGo to article: EventsGo to article: Next issue