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Cannabis Campaigners' Guide News Database result:
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UK: Cannabis spray may soon help sufferers
Press & Journal, Aberdeen Friday 20 Jun 2003 A CANNABIS-BASED drug which relieves the symptoms of multiple sclerosis (MS) should be available on prescription by the end of the year, it was announced yesterday. GW Pharmaceuticals said Sativex, which contains extracts from whole cannabis plants, is on track for release, subject to approval by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). Because it contains the class C-drug, Sativex would also. require a change in the law, but Home Secretary David Blunkett has indicated he would be willing to make an amendment if the drug was approved. GW, based in Salisbury, grows 40,000 cannabis plants a year at a secret site. The drug is administered as a spray in the mouth and works to alleviate pain and relax muscle spasms. New clinical trials are about to start on the drug after it showed good results in trials held in November. It is also being tested for its effectiveness at treating cancer pain and neuropathic pain caused by spinal cord injury. MS is the most common disabling neurological condition affecting young adults, with around 85,000 UK sufferers. It results from damage to myelin - a protective sheath surrounding nerve fibres of the central nervous system. GW has sold the marketing rights for Sativex to German healthcare giant Bayer. It submitted its licence application to the MHRA in March and has indicated that if UK approval is received, it would look at entering the market in Canada, Australia and New Zealand. ' Announcing its interim results yesterday, GW said it made a net loss after tax of £6.7 million for the six months to March 31 this year. But executive chairman Geoffrey Guy said: "GW's achievements over recent years provide a solid platform for growth."
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