Experimentation with therapeutic cannabis in France will begin on at least 3,000 patients on March 31, 2021 at the latest. A decree published on October 18 provides further information on the types of drugs tested and the pathologies concerned.
- Therapeutic cannabis can be used for patients with epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, chemotherapy or palliative care
- The treatment should provide additional relief or compensate for the poor tolerance to another treatment.
We now know more about the modalities that will surround the experimentation of therapeutic cannabis in France. Voted on October 9, 2019, the experimentation of therapeutic cannabis should be applied in France on March 31 at the latest for a period of two years and will concern at least 3000 patients.
On October 18, the specifications of the drugs concerned by this experiment were unveiled in the Official Journal. The patients concerned will be those suffering from serious pathologies (multiple sclerosis, epilepsy of neuropathic pain, side effects of chemotherapy, palliative care).
Future products will be delivered as capsules, spray dried flowers or oils containing medical cannabis and prescribed only “in case of insufficient relief or poor tolerance” with existing treatments, specifies the decree.
Call for applications for suppliers
Two suppliers will be involved in the experiment: a main one and a secondary one, in the event of failure of the first. Medical cannabis is designed from precise dosages between the two main molecules of the plant: THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) and CBD (cannabidiol).
These dosages will be controlled during this experiment which will be directed by the National Agency for the Safety of Medicines (Anses), through quality controls and obligations incumbent on suppliers, who will be responsible for the traceability of products and “securing their distribution circuit”.
The next step will be to publish a call for applications for drug providers on the ANSES website. In Europe, more than 20 countries authorize medical cannabis. The experiment in France, which was originally supposed to start in 2020 but was delayed due to the Covid-19 epidemic, was eagerly awaited by patients.
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