cannabisnews.com: Cannabis MS Drug 'Available Soon'





Cannabis MS Drug 'Available Soon'
Posted by CN Staff on January 21, 2004 at 11:02:30 PT
Breaking News
Source: CNN 
London, England (CNN) -- A cannabis-based medicine for multiple sclerosis sufferers could be available on prescription in Britain by the summer, according to its manufacturer. UK-based GW Pharmaceuticals said production and marketing teams were on stand-by to launch Sativex, subject to it gaining regulatory approval. The firm said its application was close to winning approval from the UK Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Agency.
Executive chairman Dr. Geoffrey Guy said: "We have every reason to be extremely excited about the year ahead." The group hopes the assessment process will be finished during the second quarter of 2004 and that the product will be available on prescription soon afterwards. GW Pharmaceuticals, which floated on the London Stock Exchange in 2002, is the only company to legally develop and produce cannabis-derived treatments. Anecdotal evidence suggests that more than 10 percent of multiple sclerosis sufferers use cannabis illegally to help alleviate their symptoms of pain, muscle spasm and shaking. GW Pharmaceuticals has developed three means of administering the drug. The first is by spraying it in the mouth, another is by taking a pill and the third is by vaporizer -- rather like an asthma inhaler. Snipped: Complete Article: http://www.freedomtoexhale.com/msdrug.htmNewshawk: Ethan Russo MDSource: CNN (US Web) Published: Wednesday, January 21, 2004Copyright: 2004 Cable News Network, Inc. Contact:  cnn cnn.comWebsite: http://www.cnn.com/ Related Articles & Web Site:GW Pharmaceuticalshttp://www.gwpharm.com/British Approach To The Business of Cannabishttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread17930.shtmlBlow for GW Pharma Cannabis Remedyhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread17874.shtmlCanada: GW and Bayer Announce Agreement http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread17741.shtml
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Comment #8 posted by Rev Jonathan Adler on January 24, 2004 at 14:19:57 PT:
Legal Cannabis Distribution Bill Up In Hawaii!
Aloha and GW is showing us that a rational society can allow research and development of cannabis medicine. As this session of our legislature opens I am sponsoring the re-introduction of House Bill 1805 and Senate Bill 2502 which recognized my legal registration with the State to distribute cannabis to legal recipients based on my court decisions and religious standing. I am currently asking Cannabis News advocates to send e-mails and letters to all legislators in Hawaii supporting this bill. It will be national history and end the senseless war on cannabis.
Hopefully the dominos are truely falling in the right direction. Peace. Dr. Russo is one of my heros and I hope I can help the clinical and religious users in a major way. Thanks. It is a tough job to be a cannabis warrior, but it is satisfying to my soul. Say Yes To Herbs! Not Drugs!
Hawaii Medical Marijuana Institute
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Comment #7 posted by FoM on January 21, 2004 at 17:23:22 PT
BGreen
What I wrote didn't sound right. Yes you could be right about that sounds better. LOL!
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Comment #6 posted by FoM on January 21, 2004 at 17:19:41 PT
BGreen 
Must be! Must be! LOL!
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Comment #5 posted by FoM on January 21, 2004 at 17:18:33 PT
Related Portion of Article from The Telegraph UK
Weighing Merits of Cannabis DrugJanuary 22, 2004Imagine investing in a company that grows 40,000 marijuana plants a year at a secret location in the English countryside. No, not a hippy commune but GW Pharmaceuticals, which yesterday said regulators would approve its cannabis-based medicine for multiple sclerosis in the second quarter.The pioneering drug, Sativex, which is sprayed into the mouth, is the company's make-or-break product. So is it worth taking a toke on GW for its ground-breaking use of the weed?So far, the tale isn't as spaced out as you might imagine, given all those plants on hand. So, GW had hoped for approval last year but cannabis is well known for slowing people down.When approval comes, GW could harvest milestone payments of more than £30m and a share of long-term product sales from its partner, Bayer. GW is getting high on the prospects, with pre-tax losses of £9.6m in the year to the end of September 2003 against £12.2m in the prior year.Analysts believe that the key to commercial success will be the label setting out the uses of the drug in patient groups. Chairman Geoffrey Guy said the group has five other trials coming through this year.The growth prospects are also hypnotising. GW is studying how the drug could be used for treating pain from cancer and spinal cord injury. Bayer has also extended its option to license Sativex in Europe, Australia and New Zealand. Annual sales in Europe and Canada are expected to be £200m to £300m.GW also had £32m of cash at year-end, up from £20m last time. This is enough temptation for most but, although the shares fell off last year on the approval delay, at 199p yesterday, they are no longer cheap. Hold.Copyright of Telegraph Group Limited 2004http://www.money.telegraph.co.uk/money/main.jhtml?xml=/money/2004/01/22/cxquest22.xml&sSheet=/money/2004/01/22/ixfrontmarkets.html
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Comment #4 posted by BGreen on January 21, 2004 at 14:48:39 PT
FoM Re: Virgil
I think Virgil must have spent an afternoon with my Dad. :-)The Reverend Bud Green
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Comment #3 posted by FoM on January 21, 2004 at 11:48:35 PT
Oh Poor Virgil
Did someone drop you on your head? You sure have it down good! LOL!
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Comment #2 posted by Virgil on January 21, 2004 at 11:32:23 PT
Boy, I hope it is safe
Does this stuff eat out your liver or cause body blisters? So what if it helps with pain, it does not cure MS. There are all kinds of things for pain. They should have to be tried first under the Medical Seniority Protocol.Marijuana is dangerous and addictive and if I have heard it once, I have heard it a thousand times. The government would not waste money to educate people with that fact if it were not of primal importance to society.If the UK government is reckless enough to let this onto the market, it should be highly restricted and require two doctors prescriptions with one of them being a specialist. There should also be a campaign by the professional associations to ask doctors not to prescribe this dangerous drug because of the great social and economich harm that will come because these people want to get high and even more, get high for free using socialized medical care.Are you sure this is safe? The newspaper had an account just a few days ago about a man that overdosed by cannabis toxicity. It has to be a painful death. The whole thing is being railroaded through by a wealthy enclave in efforts to first legalize marijuana and then to legalize everything. These are the people that say heroin is a drug and we should give it away. We should not be paying for people's highs and lows. We should prohibit their use and wipe them off the planet and follow UN protocol to crimianalize any disagreement.You cannot shout "fire" in a movie theater and people should not be allowed to say "Give them pot and give them heroin." What a bunch of quacks and criminals. Get real and get tough. Allowing these mixed messages just increases use and increases their base. It is not uncommon for children as young as 10 years-old to smoke pot and now you want taxpayers to put it in every medicine cabinet in the country? Just say no. Don't let the country go to pot.
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Comment #1 posted by FoM on January 21, 2004 at 11:06:25 PT
I Wish GW Pharm Great Success
Thank you Dr. Russo for your dedication. Without your efforts we wouldn't be where we are today.
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