POT SPRAY GETS THE OK FOR MS SUFFERERS

POT-FRIENDLY Canada has become the first country in the world to
approve a new drug that mixes a joint and a breath spray to relieve
pain for multiple sclerosis sufferers. Though its creators are
reluctant to compare Sativex to medicinal marijuana without the
adverse side effects of smoking, the drug combines
delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) -- extracted
from the cannabis plant -- into a convenient pump action,
peppermint-flavoured oral spray.

Administered on an as-needed basis under the tongue or on the inside
of the cheek, the drug was shown to stimulate receptors within the
central nervous system and significantly relieve neuropathic pain
during clinical trials.

Bayer spokesman Doug Grant said it wasn't so much Canada's eased
stance on marijuana that got the drug approved so quickly but the fact
Canada has one of the highest rates of MS in the world.

A Health Canada policy that allows promising drugs to be approved for
market provided they're studied further for efficacy also helped, he
said.

The drug won conditional approval yesterday and will be available to
MS sufferers by late next month or early June.

Developed by UK partner GW Pharmaceuticals, Grant said the company is
awaiting approval in Britain. It's also exploring other markets and
how the drug might be adapted to treat pain related to cancer and diabetes.

"We have a number of patients who, I'm sure, as soon as they get wind
of this, will be calling looking for some," said Dr. Mark Freedman,
director of the MS clinic at the Ottawa Hospital's General campus.

'As Much As You Need'

"There are a number of nice features about this medication," he added.
"They can be self-administered and you can take as much as you need to
offset the discomfort.

"Pills are often fraught with absorbent problems," he said, noting
that smoking pot also exposes people to the harmful effects of tar.

Freedman said he has never encouraged patients to smoke pot and
possibly trade in a pain-free day today for lung cancer down the road.

But he noted he has helped many fill out the paperwork for medicinal
marijuana before the Canadian Medical Protective Association ruled
against physicians who do so.

While the drug has little direct affect on other MS symptoms like
tremors and spasticity, Freedman said it could reduce dependence on
some harsher pain medications like anti-convulsants, opiates and
synthetic THC.

Taken properly, he said, Sativex is not likely to get someone high,
nor is it likely to produce major side effects.