MedC Biopharma is in the process of developing a cannabis-based medication to cure a rare form of skin cancer.
When it comes to cannabis-based medications, there are typically two common methods of production. One is known as the “entourage effect”, which utilizes the entire plant and all of its compounds. The other harnesses a specific cannabinoid (most commonly, CBD but in recent years other compounds have been isolated as well) and creates medications using it as an active ingredient. MedC Biopharma is combining these two approaches to create a very unique and marketable cannabis skin cancer treatment.
“Our formulation has no active ingredients that were not previously identified, but the selection of these ingredients and the precise ratios between them makes this product unusual, as opposed to use of the complete cannabis plant or use of a single active ingredient,” stated Guy Drori, CEO of MedC. “This makes it possible to register a patent on it and develop it as a drug.”
Cannabis as skin cancer treatment
The medication is expected to cure a rare form of skin cancer, Cutaneous T-cell Lymphoma. CTCL most commonly affects adults in the age group of 40-60 years, but about 0.5% of cases occur in young children. This disease is more prevalent in males than females and the severity can range from mild symptoms only present on the skin (such as dryness, itching, and rashes), to life threatening symptoms that affect the lymph nodes and internal organs.
Multiple studies over the years have shown that cannabis can be a novel treatment in the fight against cancer, but for some reason it’s been difficult to get this information accepted by the public. A 2014 study from Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences in India concluded that cannabinoids can have an “anti-proliferative” effect on various tumors of different origins.
Back in 2003, Nature Reviews Cancer published a study stating that, in addition to offering palliative care to help cancer patients tolerate the pain and nausea associated with chemotherapy, cannabinoids also seem to restrict the growth of tumor cells in animal test subjects.
So far, MedC Biopharma has raised $5 million dollars for the development of this medication, on top the millions of dollars already invested by company president Avi Drori and CEO Guy Drori. It’s unknown when exactly this medication will be available to patients considering it’s still in its infancy.
The product was deemed effective in destroying cancer cells during research at the Volcani Agricultural Research Center in Israel – where MedC Biopharma has an exclusive licensing agreement – but has yet to be tested on animals and humans. Regardless, it’s a medical breakthrough and we’re excited to see what comes of this new cannabis-based skin cancer treatment.