MGC Pharma’s pioneering cannabis-based treatment for refractory epilepsy now available to patients in the United Kingdom
LONDON, May 31, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — MGC Pharmaceuticals Ltd. (LSE: MXC), (ASX: MXC), (OTC: MGCLF), a leading European pharmaceutical firm specializing in plant-derived medications, announced today that its ground-breaking Investigational Medicinal Product (IMP), CannEpil®, has been successfully imported and received by its first patients in the United Kingdom.
CannEpil® is a high-CBD, low-THC formulation, delivered via an oral mucosal solution. It is part of MGC’s rigorous clinical development programme for patients suffering from refractory epilepsy, also known as drug-resistant epilepsy. Following a safety study in Australia, which confirmed CannEpil® was safe for post-treatment driving activities, CannEpil® was distributed and prescribed in Ireland under full governmental health insurance coverage in 2019.
The first patient to receive CannEpil® in the UK was supported by the ‘I AM Billy Foundation’, an initiative led by Charlotte Caldwell, whose son Billy was the first person to receive an NHS prescription for medical cannabis in 2018. Approximately 25,000 people in the UK are currently treated with medical cannabis for conditions such as chronic pain, epilepsy, and Parkinson’s disease.
Besides, MGC Pharma has delivered CannEpil® to its first patient in the UK via the Named Patient Request programme, following the announcement on 11th April 2023. The initiative permits clinicians listed on The General Medical Council (GMC) specialist register to prescribe CannEpil®.
The delivery also supports the RESCAS study, a research initiative aiming to address the substantial unmet medical need of refractory epilepsy. MGC Pharma’s proprietary ZAM app, announced on 15th March 2023, will record patients’ daily metrics, symptoms, and treatment impact, providing a detailed record of the study and a deeper understanding of CannEpil® effects on refractory epilepsy patients.
CannEpil® was supplied to the ‘I AM Billy Foundation’ through the NHS’s Refractory Epilepsy Specialist Clinical Advisory Service, the only route in the UK for patients to receive public funding for cannabis-based treatments of refractory epilepsy.
Roby Zomer, Managing Director and CEO of MGC Pharma, said: “Fulfilling the first UK patient’s CannEpil® treatment signifies MGC Pharma’s commitment to improving access to effective epilepsy treatment. We’re proud to collaborate with the ‘I AM Billy Foundation’ on this significant endeavor. We aim to ensure patient access to high-quality, cannabis-based medicinal products. With the first CannEpil® prescription via Named Patient Request, we’re making substantial progress towards increasing access to effective refractory epilepsy treatment in the UK and Ireland, with other key territories to soon follow.”
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SOURCE MGC Pharmaceuticals Ltd
