MMJ Files US Patent for Cannabinoid-based Treatment for Huntington’s and MS
MMJ BioScience has filed a patent invention with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for its part-cannabinoid treatment for patients with cannabinoid-responsive diseases, including Huntington’s disease and multiple sclerosis.
According to the announcement by MMJ BioScience — an affiliate of MMJ International Holdings, the patent will protect the method used to administrate therapeutically-effective amounts of the cannabinoid-based formulation to prevent loss of muscle movement in patients with Huntington’s disease and MS.
MMJ BioScience has been evolving the process of developing and manufacturing plant-derived cannabinoid formulations to fulfill the quality and uniformity standards required by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for pharmaceutical products.
The cannabinoid-based products are designed to provide patients with the medical benefits of cannabis, but without the psychoactive side-effects that are commonly associated with this plant and the health dangers associated with smoking.
In December 2017, the company submitted an Investigation New Drug (IND) application with the FDA for its cannabinoid pharmaceutical compounds to treat and prevent symptoms progression in patients with MS. The new patent is expected to provide additional regulatory protection as the company prepares to initiate a Phase 2 clinical trial during 2018.
“Entering Phase 2 trials is a highly significant point in the development of our cannabis-based medicines,” Michael Sharpe, MMJ spokesman, said in a company press release. “These trials will allow us to demonstrate efficacy in a limited number of subjects and to establish the necessary dosage regimen and delivery mechanisms to provide the most effective relief to sufferers from the acute pain and spasticity associated with MS.”
The company hopes to bring cannabinoid-based prescription medicines to market by 2020. This will provide new therapeutic options to patients with severe diseases even in states where cannabis products have yet to become legal.
“Whereas non-pharmaceutical companies cannot export their products across state lines, MMJ BioScience would be able to sell its medicine in pharmacies once prescribed by physicians,” MMJ said. “MMJ BioScience’s expected approval by the FDA for its new medicine would have a major impact on the state to state emerging cannabis industry, which is not federally legal.”
The approval of MMJ BioScience’s products may also have a major impact on the illegal cannabis industry that has emerged in the United States.
