British firm tests pot-based drug

A British company is conducting landmark trials which could see medicines derived from or inspired by the cannabis plant itself making their way to American pharmacy shelves.

GW Pharma is in advanced clinical trials for the world's first pharmaceutical developed from raw marijuana instead of synthetic equivalents - a mouth spray it hopes to market in the US as a treatment for cancer pain. The firm hopes to receive US government approval by the end of next year.

The trials come a quarter of a century after the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the first prescription drugs based on the main psychoactive ingredient in marijuana.

Sativex contains marijuana's two best known components - delta 9-THC and cannabidiol - and has already been approved in Canada, New Zealand and eight European countries for relieving muscle spasms associated with multiple sclerosis.

FDA approval would represent an important milestone in the United States' often uneasy relationship with marijuana, which 16 states and Washington DC already allow people to use legally with doctors' recommendations.

Sativex has been approved in Canada,
New Zealand and eight European
countries (AP/GW Pharmaceuticals)

The US Drug Enforcement Administration categorises pot as a dangerous drug with no medical value, but the availability of a chemically similar prescription drug could increase pressure on the government to revisit its position and encourage other drug companies to follow in GW Pharma's footsteps.

Possessing marijuana is still illegal in the UK but about a decade ago GW Pharma's founder, Dr Geoffrey Guy, received permission to grow it to develop a prescription drug.

Dr Guy proposed the idea at a scientific conference that heard anecdotal evidence that pot provides relief to multiple sclerosis patients, and the British government welcomed it as a potential way "to draw a clear line between recreational and medicinal use", company spokesman Mark Rogerson said.

In addition to exploring new applications for Sativex, the company is developing drugs with different cannabis formulations.

Opponents and supporters of crude marijuana's effectiveness generally agree that more research is needed, while marijuana advocates fear that the government will use any new prescription products to justify a continued prohibition on marijuana use.

©Press Association