Israel-based OWC Pharmaceutical has announced the completion of a cannabinoid-enriched sublingual tablet for patients who are not able to, or do not wish to, smoke cannabis as a medicine delivery method, the company announced in a press release. They are currently seeking approval for the tablet by the Israeli Ministry of Health’s Medicinal Cannabis Unit.
Dr. Yehuda Baruch, OWC’s director of research and regulatory affairs, said that while serving as head of the Health Ministry’s Medical Cannabis Program he observed that “about 15 percent of eligible patients do not use medical cannabis because they cannot, or do not want to smoke it.”
Baruch served as the head of the program from 2003 through 2013, treating more than 15,000 patients with cannabis.
“What’s more, smoking is not particularly effective for some conditions. We developed the tablet to facilitate the bioavailability and administration of our cannabis formulations to patients,” he said in the release. “Consistent and accurate dosing is critical to the successful treatment of any condition, and our tablet is able to deliver that.”
Ziv Turner, OWC CEO, indicated that the company has already entered into talks with the Ministry of Health and indicated that several U.S. firms are interested in bringing the product to the states “as regulations allow.”
“We expect that there is a substantial number of eligible patients who are uncomfortable smoking cannabis for medical purposes in the United States as well as other regions, leaving a large segment of the patient population without real access to treatment,” he said. “We believe our tablet is a preferable administrative method for those, and many other patients, and will make a real difference in the way cannabis is administered.”
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