Cannabis oral spray

[Shiny]

http://money.cnn.com/2005/04/29/news/in ... tm?cnn=yes

Canada OKs cannabis oral spray

Unique painkiller for multiple sclerosis unlikely to win U.S. approval.
April 30, 2005: 7:27 PM EDT
By Aaron Smith, CNN/Money staff writer

NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - A cannabis-based painkiller for sufferers of multiple sclerosis is expected to be in Canadian pharmacies this summer, but whether it appears on U.S. pharmacy shelves is a key question.

Sativex, which is sprayed into patients' mouths, is produced by the British firm GW Pharmaceuticals. It was approved by the Canadian government on April 19.

"A great number of multiple sclerosis sufferers have experimented, sometimes illegally, with herbal marijuana in the past," said Mark Rogerson, spokesman for GW Pharmaceuticals, whose scientists extract cannabis from greenhouse-cultivated plants. "We are confident that many patients will prefer a pharmaceutical or a scientific solution to the problem rather than crude herbal marijuana."

The manufacturer has partnered with Bayer, the German drug giant, to get Sativex to the Canadian market as quickly as possible. Bayer (up $0.98 to $32.25, Research) also has a contract to market the drug in the United Kingdom, where it is awaiting approval by British authorities.

"Also this year, we are beginning the process of seeking approval for a medicine in the U.S.," says Rogerson. "We are in the early stages of talking to the U.S. administration."

Rogerson said his company would also be seeking approval in continental Europe. "If you get your approval in one EU country then you hit the ground running in other EU countries," said Rogerson.

In the United States, there are 400,000 people diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, compared to 50,000 in Canada and about 85,000 in Britain. Roughly half of these people suffer neuropathic pain that could be treated by Sativex, according to the companies.

'This is a very important opportunity for us," said Doug Grant, spokesman for Bayer Canada who declined to provide sales estimates. "There are very few opportunities where you can provide a drug where there is no other treatment available. There's no specific drug on the market for treating neuropathic pain for multiple sclerosis."

The first legal hurdle was cleared in 2001, when Canadian regulators approved medicinal marijuana for patients with multiple sclerosis, spinal injuries, AIDS, cancer and any terminal illness with a prognosis of less than 12 months to live.

But if the past is any indication, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration might go tough on a cannabis-based drug.

"Generally, physicians do not like to use narcotic-based drugs or drugs that have addictive-type characteristics for treatment of chronic pain," said Dr. John Richert, vice president for research and clinical programs for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

"There is not yet solid scientific evidence that the cannabis-related drugs are useful for multiple sclerosis pain," he said. "I think if there were solid scientific evidence that this type of drug helped, then that would be the evidence for the FDA to consider in their evaluation for the drug."

More than 10 states in the U.S. have approved legislation supporting the use of medicinal marijuana. But the federal government supersedes all state legislation and the FDA lists marijuana as an illegal narcotic.

GW Pharmaceuticals hopes the FDA will see Sativex differently from its recreational cousin. In addition to multiple sclerosis, Rogerson said, the painkiller is also being tested to treat rheumatoid arthritis, spasticity, spinal injuries and bladder dysfunction.

And unlike the herbal version of marijuana, Rogerson said Sativex is sprayed into the mouth in a liquid form and poses no threat to the lungs.

"Smoking is bad for you," said Rogerson. "You don't have to take my word for that. Just look a package of cigarettes and see what it says. We don't regard smoking as an acceptable method of delivery for a medicine."

Sativex differs from Marinol, an FDA-approved drug containing the active ingredient found in marijuana, because Sativex is extracted from a plant while Marinol is synthetic. Marinol is taken as a pill to fight appetite loss by patients with HIV or cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy.

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Thought I'd post this cause it has something to do with marijuana.

[mystoneybaby]

hey that's pretty cool. thanks for posting that.

[miT_311]

i want some!

[Flowing]

heh thats kinna cool

[LickSamba311]

I have some Hemp moisturizing body lotion. THC free virgin hemp seed oil to cultivate your skin with essential hydration.
Wal-Mart... 4 bucks

[KyleRayner]

thats good, cuz marinol fucks you up, both good and bad ways

[ABH_bassist]

how so?
i always wanted to try it

[slowpoke]

Yeah, I'm sick of getting high on this crude herbal marijuana .

Boy, I sure go for some scientific reefer.

I know inhaling smoke of any kind is bad and some people really would benefit from a product such as this, but come on... crude herbs?

[KyleRayner]

how so?
i always wanted to try it

well you can look at how it fucks up as a good or bad thing, it works like this, its not real THC, and the body treats it slightly differently, the doses are so large you go pretty much catatonic for 12 hours, adn then the excess marinol your body stores in a little pocket osmewhre in your body, and it keeps putting excess there until eventually, it will bust into the blood stream and who knows where you are, driving a car, sitting in class, driving an airplane, and you go super super super catatonic, and that can be dangerous, or it can be looked at as a free high

[swindle311]

Thats tite. i could go for some medical marijuan right about now.

[bong311]

sweet tits! loved this article i hope they find that it really is just the straight cannabis treating the patients... just let the patients smoke a spliff too the head and see if they feel better alone from that then you can tell if it helps!!!