cannabisnews.com: GW To Test Dope's Pain Relief Effect 










  GW To Test Dope's Pain Relief Effect 

Posted by FoM on January 16, 2002 at 19:40:26 PT
By Andrew Clark 
Source: Guardian Unlimited 

Britain's only legal cannabis company, GW Pharmaceuticals, is to test its dope-based medicines on patients suffering from advanced cancer, in the hope of measuring the drug's pain relief effect. The firm, which floated last year, announced the project alongside an increase in year-end losses from £2.2m to £6.9m. GW said it was building an "indoor growing unit" at a secret location, allowing it to double output to 30 tonnes of cannabis plants a year. 
Chief executive Geoffrey Guy said of the phase three cannabis trial. "Most of the evidence of its pain relief effect has in the past been based on medical anecdotes. We believe cancer pain is among the most promising areas for cannabis-based medicines." The trial will involve more than 100 patients at 20 centres. It will run alongside phase-three studies of the drug's use for multiple sclerosis and nerve damage, which are already under way. Dr Guy said: "These are patients with advanced cancer which is life-threatening. But they may still want to go to work and drive their cars." Patients will use hi-tech inhalers to take the drug. They will have to enter a personal code to release each dose and the device will log each inhalation to deter people from attempting to get "high". Although cannabis-based drugs are banned for medical use, the government has promised that if trials are successful it will recommend that the Medicines Control Agency permit them. GW recently secured a licence to import cannabis into the US for trials, after long negotiations with the drug enforcement agency. Source: Guardian Unlimited, The (UK) Author: Andrew ClarkPublished: Thursday, January 17, 2002Copyright: 2002 Guardian Newspapers LimitedContact: letters guardian.co.ukWebsite: http://www.guardian.co.uk/Related Articles & Web Sites:UK Medicinal Cannabis Projecthttp://www.medicinal-cannabis.org/Cannabis & Pain Managementhttp://freedomtoexhale.com/drr.htmCannabis Medicine Trial Expanded http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread11776.shtmlBritish Company To Test Cannabis for Cancer Painhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread11774.shtmlCannabinoids in Pain Management http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread11430.shtml

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Comment #5 posted by CorvallisEric on January 18, 2002 at 10:51:40 PT
further defense of GW
Just a personal impression about Geoffrey Guy and GW. I sense something magic and wonderful, almost too good to be true, in most of the newspaper articles. Also, they may be a major contributor to the speed of changing media and political attitudes in the UK. They could make a fortune charging high prices for patented extracts and specific inhaler technology, but that needn't preclude competition by other extracts and delivery systems.
see Dr. Russo's "Defense of GW"
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Comment #4 posted by Ethan Russo MD on January 18, 2002 at 06:25:38 PT:
Seriously
Far be it for me to ruin your fun. However, let's be serious here. No pharmaceutical company tends to make money before they have a product to sell. These kinds of temporary financial losses are expected, and are far less than the capital raised to extend research. Who else is growing mass quantities of cannabis for therapeutic usage? Who else do you think has a genuine opportunity to bring cannabis medicine to market in a short time? It would be worth your while to examine the available data carefully and use it as ammunition versus our detractors. Then you can laugh.
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Comment #3 posted by lookinside on January 17, 2002 at 19:51:18 PT:
Sam Adams...
LOL!Makes sense to me!I wonder how long Ford Motor Company would have lasted if ol' Henry hadn't gotten around to building some cars...
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Comment #2 posted by Sam Adams on January 17, 2002 at 06:40:39 PT

this is pretty funny
The inhaler is interesting...I wonder how it would compare to a good Vaporizer for pulmonary irritability.This is TOO funny:
"The firm, which floated last year, announced the project alongside an increase in year-end losses from £2.2m to £6.9m. GW said it was building an "indoor growing unit" at a secret location, allowing it to double output to 30 tonnes of cannabis plants a year."I would've loved to see the Board meeting on this one: Well, we're losing a ton of money. Take all our spare money and start growing some weed! 
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Comment #1 posted by Ethan Russo MD on January 17, 2002 at 05:51:42 PT:

Landmark Status Likely Warranted
The use of an inhaler of a whole cannabis extract in these studies will likely represent a landmark event in cannabis therapeutics. This type of approach combines the quick dose response and titratability of smoked cannabis, but without the attendant pulmonary irritation. Chances are great that this will be the most favored type of cannabis preparation for medical usage in a prescription form.
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