Sativex Launched in UK

LONDON—A drug manufactured from cannabis went on sale in the U.K. Monday as a treatment for symptoms of multiple sclerosis. Sativex, which is made from cannabis plants [...]

• Caroline says: UPDATE from yesterday's post: according to this article, the NHS/NICE will pay for Sativex, a cannabis-based treatment approved for spasticity in MS patients. Cost will be approximately $16 US dollars/patient/day...American drug manufacturers: take note!
   

• Related Links:
• http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704895204575320392868152692.html?m…

• Cannabis spray approved in Britain to relieve spasticity in PWMS

  LONDON, June 18 (Reuters) – GW Pharmaceuticals Plc’s (GWP.L) cannabis-derived medicine Sativex has been approved in Britain for treating spasticity in patients with multiple sclerosis, in a [...]

  • Caroline says: Spray your way to spasticity-free nights...if you live in the UK. A cannabis-based under the tongue spray has been approved in the UK (with anticipated approval in Spain shortly). Debate continues as to whether or not the NHS/NICE will pay for it.
     
  • Related Links:
  • http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSLDE65H1C920100618…
  
  

  • Marijuana May Slow MS

    In lieu of curing a debilitating disease, the next best thing scientists can do is slow its progression and create better treatments. Armed with a $1.5 million [...]

    • Caroline says: Become a pot head, slow your MS disability...sounds good to me! The idea here is that synthesized cannabinoids might be able to act as "traffic cops", telling the immune system when to turn on and off, so that the body knows when to fight infection and when to stand down (because in the immune systems of MS patients, this isn't always the case). The authors of the study were awarded a 4-year NIH grant to study this. Hot damn.