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UK: MS sufferers 'dismayed' as cannabis drug fails to gain

Loiuse Gray

The Scotsman

Saturday 11 Jun 2005

---
SUFFERERS of multiple sclerosis reacted with dismay yesterday after a
cannabis-based drug failed to gain a licence to be used in treatment of the
condition.

In clinical trials carried out at Dundee University, MS patients reported
benefits from using cannabis extract Sativex.

But the Medicines Commission was not satisfied with the efficacy of the
drug and has refused a licence.

Earlier this year, Canada became the first country in the world to approve
the painkiller and doctors there can prescribe Sativex to MS patients.

Scotland has one of the highest rates of MS in the world, with more than
10,000 sufferers.

Mark Hazlewood, director of the MS Society in Scotland, said the news would
come as a blow to many sufferers.

He said it was hoped Sativex could have been used to provide relief for
patients, some of whom resort to smoking or eating cannabis to relieve
symptoms.

Mr Hazlewood said: "I think one of the reasons people with MS are keen to
see some of these products coming on to the market is so they can get
access to medication through a safe and prescribed route, to help them with
their symptoms."

Multiple sclerosis sufferers have been campaigning for years to use
cannabis to ease their symptoms. One sufferer, the late Biz Ivol, from
Orkney, sparked debate after she admitted making cannabis-laced chocolates
for other patients with the same condition.

Last month, a breast cancer victim made medical history by becoming the
first person to be prescribed cannabis as a treatment for clinical pain.

Jeanie Rae, 57, from Stirlingshire, was given Sativex as part of a clinical
trial, but doctors continued to prescribe it after she reported it eased
her pain.

Paul Cruikshank, who stood in the general election for the Legalise
Cannabis Alliance "in honour of Biz Ivol", said it was "a crime against
humanity" to deny people a drug that might help relieve pain. And he
predicted some MS sufferers will continue to use cannabis without the
option of alternatives.

Mark O'Donovan, chief executive of the MS Society, said the choice of
treatments for sufferers was already limited and there was now "convincing
evidence" that cannabis-derived drugs can significantly improve patients'
quality of life.

He said: "This news will be greeted with absolute dismay by many of the
85,000 people in the UK who have MS and suffer from distressing symptoms
including spasticity and pain. How long must they wait?"

Yesterday's decision came after UK-based drugs company GW Pharmaceuticals
launched an appeal against advice given by the Committee on Safety of
Medicines (CSM) to the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency
in December not to grant a licence for Sativex in the UK.

 

 

 

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