Response to UK Medical Cannabis Guidelines
By Dr. Simon Erridge, Dr. Mikael H Sodergren, and Dr. Daniel Couch
It is anticipated that the prescribing of medicinal cannabis and cannabis-based medicinal products (CBMPs) will change prescribing patterns across the UK within the next decade. A significant body of preclinical and observational data sits alongside emerging evidence of domestic use on a national scale, all promising efficacy in clinical use.
In early November of 2019, The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) released their updated guidance on the use of CBMPs in four disease areas, ultimately recommending the use of Nabilone as an add-on therapy in chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting, THC:CBD spray in multiple-sclerosis induced spasticity, and CBD for the drug resistance paediatric epilepsy Dravet and Lennox-Gastaut syndromes. These recommendations will come as a relief to some but could be frustrating for many patients who find therapeutic relief with cannabis for a variety of conditions.