GW Pharmaceuticals gets more clinical backing

GW Pharmaceuticals, the British biotech firm, has seen clinical data released by partner Almirall that gives further backing for the efficacy of GW's cannabis-based drug, Sativex.

The results of a study in Germany with 300 patients was released at a major conference in France. The study found that Sativex reduced the symptoms of moderate to severe spasticity due to multiple sclerosis.

The data confirmed that after three months, 41% of patients treated with Sativex, who were resistant to other therapies, showed a clinically relevant response.

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The medicine has been proven to be a cost-effective treatment in Germany where Almirall has already made it available, as well as Spain and Denmark.

Next year GW Pharma is expecting the results of Phase III study into Sativex's efficacy as a treatment for cancer pain.

GW's cancer pain clinical programme is being wholly funded by Otsuka Pharmaceutical, which has licensed the US commercialisation rights to this product.

Sativex is licensed to Otsuka in the US, Almirall in Europe (excluding the United Kingdom) and Mexico, Bayer HealthCare in the UK and Canada, Novartis Pharma in Australasia, Asia (excluding Japan and China), Middle East (excluding Israel) and Africa, and Neopharm Group in Israel.

CM