Medical marijuana hopeful MGC Pharma has teamed up The University of Sydney to publish an academic review of historical clinical trials that involved the administering of cannabis based products to people suffering from various health conditions.
The new white paper, entitled Clinical Evidence for Medicinal Cannabis: Epilepsy, Cancer and Multiple Sclerosis, was produced by MGC Pharma in collaboration with the University of Sydney’s Business School.
MGC Pharma Co-founder and Managing Director, Nativ Segev, said “For medicinal cannabis to become a trusted treatment option among medical professionals and patients alike, there needs to be rigorous clinical evidence supporting its efficacy. We believe in the potential of medicinal cannabis more than most, but that belief needs to be proven in the lab under strict conditions.”
“MGC Pharma is in discussions with leading Australian institutions to provide support and expertise wherever possible, as they strive to increase our understanding of the benefits of medicinal cannabis and its potential uses as a safe and effective treatment option.”
University of Sydney Business School lecturer, Michael Katz, who is a co-author of the report, said “Australia has made great advances in paving the way for medicinal cannabis to be available as a treatment option, but we now need to undertake more research to understand exactly how and why it can be used with patients.”
The paper rehashes the results of a number of historical controlled studies into the health benefits of medical marijuana including a 1980 trial that involved Chronic administration of cannabidiol to healthy volunteers and epileptic patients. The trial concluded that there was some improvement noted in the patients with Epilepsy.
The joint white paper also noted a number of studies over time that signalled an improvement in pain management for patients with cancer who were administered with Cannabidoil.
It also points to a host of other medical ailments that were impacted in some way in previous studies where patients were administered with cannabis based products.
The study concludes that whilst there is a huge body of anecdotal evidence, more clinical trials are needed. It states that one of the major barriers to research can be found in societal attitudes towards cannabis, which has made it costly and difficult to obtain for scientific studies.
However, the number of controlled studies on cannabis treatments per decade has increased dramatically since the mid-1980s. Currently, more than 100 open clinical trials are underway and the growth in research looks set to continue.
MGC is a medical cannabis company with two distinct business streams.
It has a medical research operation and a cosmetics arm with a range of skincare products based on the unique properties of Cannabidiol, a product derived from cannabis. The skincare range received approval from the US Food and Drug Administration earlier this year and first sales quickly followed as the company seeks to break into the US$11 billion skin care market.
By Matt Birney
