Sativex: the world’s first prescription cannabis medicine

Sativex® marketed to treat spasticity associated with Multiple Sclerosis in the UK.  Will this drug come to the US as well? I guess we'll have to wait and see how the FDA feels about the medicinal uses of THC or marijuana.

Here's a snippet from a press release earlier this week:

PORTON DOWN, England,, 21 June 2010 - GW Pharmaceuticals plc (GWP:AIM) today announces the UK launch of Sativex®, its Oromucosal Spray for the treatment of spasticity due to Multiple Sclerosis (MS). Sativex® is the world’s first prescription cannabis medicine and the UK is the first country in the world to grant a full regulatory authorization for the product.

Sativex® contains two cannabinoids or active ingredients - THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol) and CBD (cannabidiol). It is the first cannabinoid medicine derived from whole plant extracts from the cannabis sativa plant.

Speaking of THC, we do have Marinol (Dronabinol). Dronabinol is used to treat nausea and vomiting caused by chemotherapy in people who have already taken other medications to treat this type of nausea and vomiting without good results. Dronabinol is also used to treat loss of appetite and weight loss in people who have acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Dronabinol is in a class of medications called cannabinoids. It works by affecting the area of the brain that controls nausea, vomiting, and appetite.