“The changes
made today are a
tremendous step
towards improving
the supply of
cannabis-based
medicinal
products by
helping to ensure
quicker and more
reliable access for
patients.”
– Health and Social Care Secretary
Photo of Matt Hancock by Department of Energy and Climate Change
the industry to reduce costs and
encourage more research into
cannabis for medical use.
It is hoped that more clinical trials
will eventually lead to cannabis
being prescribed for a wider range
of conditions.
There are currently only two
cannabis-based medicines
available on the NHS, prescribed for
multiple sclerosis and two hard-to-
treat forms of epilepsy.
Health and Social Care Secretary
Matt Hancock said:
“Every time I meet the families of
young people dealing so bravely
with childhood epilepsy, I am
reminded of just how much they
have been through.
“The changes made today are
a tremendous step towards
improving the supply of cannabis-
based medicinal products by
helping to ensure quicker and more
reliable access for patients.
“But we still have a long way to
go. We need more research into
the quality and safety of these
medicines, and to do all we can to
cut down the costs and remove
barriers so that, when appropriate,
patients can access it, including on
the NHS.”
On February 24, independent
scientif ic body Drug Science
announced that it was working
with the government to ‘develop
cost-saving mechanisms for
patients and work out solutions to
regulatory delays.’
The Project Twenty21 team is in
discussions with the Department
for Health, the National Institute
for Health and Care Excellence, the
MHRA and NHS England.
Project Twenty21 aims to recruit
20,000 patients by the end of
2021 to assess the effectiveness
and tolerability of cannabis as
a treatment for chronic pain,
epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, anxiety
disorder, Tourette’s Syndrome,
PTSD and substance use disorder.
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