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Pharmaceutical Company Plans Launch of Cannabis-Derived Drugs in U.K.

By Lindsay F. Wiley [Bio]

January 18, 2003 - GW Pharmaceuticals, which has a license from the British Home Office to produce cannabis-derived medications, has announced that it plans to launch the first of its products before the end of this year. Geoffrey Guy, executive chairman of GW, said the company hopes to follow its U.K. approval with similar licenses in other European countries in the near future. He noted, however, that it could be several years before the product is available in the U.S.

Guy stated that GW has been in contact with the U.S. FDA and that he is "happy with the way discussions have gone." Because FDA approval would require considerably greater costs, Guy said that the company would need a new partner before launching a U.S. development campaign.

The first product launched in the U.K. will probably be an under-the-tongue spray for treating multiple sclerosis and neuropathic pain patients. All cannabis-derived products will need to be scheduled under the U.K.'s Misuse of Drugs Act, as opiates are. At the same time that the drug is being approved by the Medicines Control Agency, it will be reviewed by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence to see if it should be provided as part of the National Health Service.