Just recently, MMJ International Holdings announced that MMJ Bioscience has received proper Canadian licensing to grow cannabis specifically to develop cannabinoid medicines to treat patients battling multiple sclerosis and Huntington’s disease, reported the Morning Star. Securing this license will allow the company to take out MMJ Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients from cannabis plants and continue to create medications to be further reviewed in FDA studies.
Both multiple sclerosis (MS) and Huntington’s disease are rare degenerative diseases which require different treatment approaches, hence the desire for companies experimenting with cannabis based medication. Patients with Huntington’s typically develop the disease around ages 30-50 and symptoms of deterioration start right away. Eventually, they lose all their functionality. Neither Huntington’s disease nor MS have a cure available.
MMJ’s chairman Tim Moynahan expressed the company’s goal to secure their lead cannabidiol medication, MMJ-001, for orphan designation for MS. They also hope that MMJ-102 can achieve the designation for Huntington’s. A lot will come down to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granting orphan designation approval for these prototypes.
The FDA often grants Orphan Drug Designation to many different drugs and medications that treat rare diseases all over the United States. There are strict standards for the designation, which is only granted to high value drugs.
MMJ BioScience is hoping their products will successfully treat patients with inflammatory, autoimmune, neurodegenerative, metabolic and fibrotic diseases. MMJ-10 drug is their first candidate which is focused on patients with multiple sclerosis and the second candidate is MMJ-002, which will focus on treating patients with Huntington’s disease. Phase 2 of their clinical study will be beginning this year for MMJ-001.
Companies like MMJ are looking towards advancing the use of cannabis based medication and proving its validity, so that patients can benefit from its therapeutic effects.
