Pubdate: Mon, 23 Jan 2012
Source: Detroit News (MI)
Page: 9
Copyright: 2012 Associated Press
Contact:  http://www.detroitnews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/126
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?323 (GW Pharmaceuticals)

POT-BASED PRESCRIPTION DRUG LOOKS FOR FDA OK

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - A British pharmaceutical company is working its 
way toward FDA approval for the world's first prescription drug 
developed from raw marijuana instead of synthetic equivalents, a 
medical milestone that could presage a new era for the plant and the 
nation's uneasy relationship with it.

GW Pharma has developed a mouth spray called Sativex that contains 
marijuana's two best known components_delta 9-THC and cannabidiol. 
It's already been approved in Canada, New Zealand and eight European 
countries for relieving muscle spasms associated with multiple sclerosis.

The company is in advanced clinical trials to get its product 
approved in the United States as a treatment for severe cancer pain. 
It hopes to seek clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration 
to put it on pharmacy shelves by the end of next year.
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