The high cost of cannabidiol-based medicines is holding back Europe’s hemp market

The UK Medical Advisory Body stated that cannabis products on the market used to treat children with epilepsy are too expensive to be prescribed to small patients on an ongoing basis, even if they reduce the number of seizures.

The media is increasingly reporting that the global market for pharmaceutical hemp preparations is filled with unreasonably expensive and often ineffective products. So, for example, in the article “ State health insurance and medical cannabis sales in the Czech Republic ” it was already noted that the Czech Republic has a slight internal growth in the production of legal psychoactive hemp used for medical purposes, which depends on imports from the Netherlands and Canada, and rarely It is prescribed because of its high price and the inability to use appropriate drugs (primarily Sativex) by patients on a regular basis.

Along with the Czech Republic, the UK medical advisory body stated that cannabis products on the market used to treat children with epilepsy are too expensive to be prescribed to small patients on an ongoing basis, even if they reduce the number of attacks in children. The National Institute of Health also said it would refrain from recommending cannabidiol in combination with the anticonvulsant drug Clobazam for the treatment of two types of severe epilepsy, Lennox-Gastaut syndrome and Drave syndrome.

In this regard, the Department of Health and Human Services requested the National Institutes of Health to establish the promise of using cannabis oil used in the United States to treat rare diseases in children in the United Kingdom. A published response from the National Institute of Health states that although CBD oil “reduces the number of major manifestations of epileptic manifestations,” the organization has “concerns about the validity of economic models” at GW Pharma, which sells these products on the market. At the same time, the report notes that GW Pharma has not investigated the aftereffect of marketed cannabinoid-based medications, which may ultimately negatively affect the treatment of severe patients, which is often found in other antiepileptic drugs.

Hemp market experts say that the mismatch of the declared characteristics of cannabis-related medicines is becoming a scourge for an increasing number of companies. So, in the article “The FDA demands to remove the mention of therapeutic properties from the goods of another manufacturer of CBD products ”, the situation was already described when the FDA sent 47 warning letters to 21 manufacturers of CBD products, prohibiting the use in the description of formulations related to the therapeutic effect of their products based on The therapeutic properties of hemp on the health of people or pets. Companies receiving FDA warning letters had 15 business days to notify the agency in writing of actions taken to rectify violations and prevent new cases of this kind. Ignored letters lead to legal action, including the confiscation of the above goods.

All these factors discredit the market for CBD products and force patients to resort to alternative supplies of similar products. In frequency, in the UK, a limited number of parents have licenses to use medical CBD oils for the treatment of epilepsy, some of which have to resort to importing drugs from abroad in addition to the current national license.

Cannabidiol itself is not licensed for use in the UK, but representatives from the National Institute of Health expect the situation to change in the near future.

A cannabis health and social welfare department patient support service spokeswoman said the situation “disappointed parents,” although CBD oil did not help children in some cases, destroying their expectations and contributing to the loss of valuable treatment time.

Commentary of the Ukrainian Technical Hemp Association

The desire of pharmaceutical companies to “cash in” on the excitement of drugs developed around CBD does not play into the hands of the general dynamics of the development of hemp products market. It should be noted that manufacturers of technical hemp of a therapeutic orientation in France, the USA, the Russian Federation and Canada, who offer to actively use the leaves and inflorescences of hemp plants, taking the maximum effect and health benefits at the lowest price, have chosen a more correct path for themselves. And again, Ukraine with its unique experience in the selection of therapeutic varieties of technical hemp should make the most of the situation. For this, changes are required in the current legislation providing a “green light” for the conduct of legal hemp business.