Tackling Cannabis Dosing Challenges
CannTab Therapeutics announces plans to make medical cannabis more reliable with its proprietary, patent-pending, extended-release tablets that offer a reliable and uniform dosage over several hours. By making medical cannabis more like traditional pharmaceuticals, these products should be more readily prescribed by doctors than the smoking of cannabis flower.
According to Arcview Market Research the North American cannabis industry is expected to grow more than three-fold from $6.57 billion in 2016 to $20.2 billion by 2021. The legalization of adult-use cannabis by the government of Canada will open the door to a much wider market in Canada, where legalization is currently anticipated for the summer of 2018. There are signs that U.S. lawmakers are ready to further legitimize medical cannabis by potentially removing marijuana from the list of Schedule I Controlled Substances.
As with any rapidly expanding market, there have been many growing pains along the way. Canadian licensed producers have been plagued with recalls for contaminated products due to the lack of testing standards, while inaccurate labeling has hurt consumers’ trust in the regulated medical cannabis space. Many medical cannabis companies and doctors also struggle with dosing issues given the unique nature of cannabis and the lack of robust clinical trial data.
A Lack of Standards
Cannabis bioavailability is a significant issue facing the medical community. In a 2009 study, researchers found that cannabinoid bioavailability ranged from two to 56 percent for inhaled cannabis smoke and from four to 20 percent for orally consumed cannabis products. These wide ranges make it difficult for physicians to anticipate how cannabis will affect a patient, which makes them less likely to prescribe cannabis-based medications.
The reality is that cannabis affects different people in different ways due to its nature. For one, cannabis contains hundreds of cannabinoids that interact in ways that scientists are only starting to understand. The metabolism of cannabinoids also depends on an individual’s body type since it’s a fat-soluble and subject to first-pass liver metabolism. And finally, regular users may build up a tolerance and require higher dosing than casual or new users.
Many companies have started to develop cannabinoid delivery mechanisms designed to improve bioavailability, but it’s a challenging task that requires extensive research and development. In addition, many of these delivery mechanisms may be unfamiliar to patients that are accustomed to taking pharmaceutical drugs in pill form. The most promising companies are those that are closely adhering to pharmaceutical standards.
Canntab’s Unique Solutions
Canntab Therapeutics aims to develop advanced pharmaceutical-grade cannabis formulations. Using its in-house technology, the company delivers standardized medical cannabis extract from selective strains in a variety of extended-release/sustained release pharmaceutical dosages for therapeutic use. As the company likes to say, it puts the “medical” into “medical cannabis” by bringing pharmaceutical standards to the industry.
The company’s proprietary, patent-pending Canntab XR Tablets provide an extended release and uniform dosing of cannabis over an extended number of hours. Doctors or patients can access a wide range of THC/CBD variations to effectively manage any ailment, while taking advantage of the discreet tablet format that easily fits into any patient’s lifestyle. These tablets are also highly reliable and made to pharmaceutical-grade standards.
In late-2017, the company signed a deal with Emblem Corp, to market and develop products in Canada, and closed a joint venture deal with Queensland Bauxite to make its products available in Australia and Asia. Recently, Health Canada approved R&D activities for Canntab’s oral sustained release formulations of cannabinoids, which paves the way for these new products.
“We are thrilled that Health Canada has approved the research and development phase of our partnership with Canntab,” said Emblem President and CEO Nick Dean in the press release announcing the approval. “The introduction of Canntab’s sustained release formulation presents a significant growth opportunity for Emblem that is expected to begin in 2019.”
