Ottawa, Ontario: Canadian health officials granted regulatory approval this week to Sativex, an oral spray consisting of natural cannabis extracts, as an adjunctive analgesic treatment in adult patients with advanced cancer.
Sativex is already available in Canada by prescription for the treatment of pain associated with multiple sclerosis. Regulators in Great Britain and Spain have also granted limited regulatory approval for the drug.
In clinical trials, patients with cancer who were unresponsive to opioids reported significantly improved pain relief after Sativex administration.
Produced by the British biotechnology firm, GW Pharmaceuticals, Sativex is a whole plant medicinal cannabis extract containing precise doses of the cannabinoids THC and cannabidiol (CBD), as well as naturally existing terpenoids and flavonoids.
Despite the drug’s growing acceptance in Canada, the company recently withdrew its application for European regulatory approval after UK regulators demanded additional clinical data on the drug.
For more information, please visit: http://www.gwpharm.com.