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Pharm company to supply the first UK medicinal hemp

Health Care
ASX:AGH      MCAP $11.34M
24 June 2019 22:28 (AEST)

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Althea will supply the first UK medical cannabis pilot. The company is looking to sign up 20,000 patients by the end of 2021.

Althea was selected to supply its products to the pilot from a select number of companies. These will be supplied on commercial terms.

Independent UK advisory committee, Drug Science, are conducting the pilot.

The study will target patients suffering from chronic pain, PTSD (focus of veterans), anxiety, multiple sclerosis and tourettes.

It is noted a focus will be placed on patients who haven’t had success with alternative treatments.

Chief Scientific Officer at Drug Science, Professor David Nutt said the pilot “will allow patients to get vital therapy without breaking the law”.

The pilot, named Project TWENTY21, intends to comprise a set of data which will be used to support making medical cannabis readily available.

CEO of Althea Dr Robert Pawinski said “we believe the pilot program will yield valuable data that can then be used to further bolster the case for wider medicinal cannabis used and inform public health and stakeholder decisions”.

Results from the study will be submitted to UK health authorities, which both companies hope will lead to a change in regulation surrounding prescribing medicinal cannabis.

The pilot will “provide a solid clinical database from which experience of and confidence in medical cannabis prescribing will develop. Providing a foundation for other medical prescribers to build on,” Professor Nutt said.

Project TWENTY21 officially commences on 18 July 2019.

Althea’s share price is up nearly 6.5 per cent this morning, currently sitting at $1.07 per share.

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