Althea’s CBD10:THC5 oil has been prescribed by a UK hospital for patients with chronic persistent pain in what the company described as a major breakthrough with Britain’s National Health Service (NHS).
The firm said the move validates its “scientific and data-driven approach” and demonstrates the “efficacy, safety and cost-effectiveness [of the medicine] in the management of chronic persistent pain”.
Around one third of adults are thought to be impacted by the condition in the UK at some stage in their lives, which is defined as pain lasting for more than three months.
While the prescriptions have only been written at one hospital, Althea chief executive Josh Fegan said it now has a “pathway to replicate the program in any NHS hospital in the UK”.
“Then there is, of course, a question of scale – how quickly our medical science liaison (MSL) team can reach specialists in other hospitals,” he said.
Asked what the pathway was, Fegan said it was “commercial in confidence”.
Although the UK’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) does not recommend treating chronic pain with medicinal cannabis, Fegan said that was “not an issue for us”.
Althea said in a statement that the milestone – “three years in the making” – represents a “significant commercial opportunity” as patients treated in the NHS do not have to pay for their consultations or prescribed medicine, aside from a nominal dispensing fee.
Althea said a lack of effective pain control remains a significant burden on the NHS, with an estimated 20% of patients attending specialist pain services continuing to visit accident and emergency (A&E). And according to the British Pain Society’s National Pain Audit, 66% of those attending A&E seeking help with pain had visited a healthcare professional more than three times in the preceding six months.
Fegan said the development was “testament to the hard work and dedication of our passionate and highly skilled employees”.
He added: “I would like to thank AGH shareholders for their support and patience, as investments in territories like the UK, and wider Europe, begin to shine through and provide significant commercial return on investment opportunities for the company.”
