Cannabis Chewing Gum for Multiple Sclerosis in Development

AXIM Biotechnologies and its partner Quay Pharmaceuticals have obtained the necessary licenses to move forward with the development of a cannabis chewing gum, called MedChew Rx, for the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS).

MedChew Rx is being developed as a pharmaceutical drug to treat pain and spasticity associated with MS, according to a press release. The gum consists of 5 mg of cannabidiol (CBD) and 5 mg of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).

The companies have obtained the necessary licenses from the British Home Office to import and work with the controlled drugs needed to continue the development of MedChew Rx.

“We are excited to move forward the development of MedChew Rx pharmaceutical chewing gum with our world-class research and product development partners,” George E. Anastassov, MD, DDS, MBA, CEO of AXIM Biotech, said in a release. “For now, we are focusing on the prototypes of MedChew chewing gums and ensuring our products comply with all FDA/EMA regulations. After achieving product stability, we will start an efficacy Phase 2A clinical trials at the Free University in Amsterdam, and subsequently move onto a Phase 3 clinical trials in Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, the UK, and USA. We anticipate to complete Phase 3 clinical trials in early 2018.”

AXIM works with its partners to procure strains from the Dutch Government’s Office of Medicinal Cannabis, which is produced by Bedrocan BV at the only GMP-certified facilities for pharmaceutical grade cannabis, according to the release. AXIM has developed patented extraction and purification methods for 99.9% purity pharmaceutical grade cannabinoids with Syncom BV.

“It is a very exciting development process we have embarked on with Axim and we are delighted to be supporting them on their range of projects. The development of the MedChew RX gum will be carefully formulated to ensure that the drugs are preferentially absorbed orally within a specific window of time to provide the best therapeutic outcome for the patients,” Maireadh Pedersen, CEO of Quay Pharma, said in the release.

The chewing gum is developed by Quay Pharma in Great Britain.