- Cannabinoid molecule extraction, quantification mark early successes in PreveCeutical’s drug delivery development process
- PreveCeutical optimistic about prototypical spray applicators in development for cannabinoid therapies
- Clinical trials of cannabis-based therapeutics anticipated next year
PreveCeutical Medical Inc. (CSE: PREV) (OTCQB: PRVCF) (FSE: 18H) is celebrating the achievement of several key milestones in the development of the company’s proprietary Sol-gel program for the nasal delivery of select medications, where those medications can be expected to effectively reach the nervous system in order to accomplish their purposes in treating conditions ranging from anxiety to head concussion injuries, a company officer told market reporting outlet Proactive Investors Limited.
PreveCeutical Chief Research Officer Harry Parekh told Proactive Investors in a September 10 interview (http://nnw.fm/v7KU4) that one significant advancement that the company has made is in the extraction of key cannabinoid molecules from one strain received from PreveCeutical’s licensed producer, Canadian cultivator and distributor Aurora Cannabis, Inc. (TSX: ACB) (OTCQX: ACBFF). PreveCeutical’s R&D department was able to validate the chemistry of the cannabinoids within a cannabinoid-rich mixture, measuring them against eight commercial cannabinoid standards over a broad concentration range.
The researchers were then able to quantify how many cannabinoids were present within the extract, ensuring that the amount fell well within the range of what Aurora had specified and clearing the way for the researchers to move forward in assaying four additional strains (http://nnw.fm/1nWm8).
“We’re very confident now moving forward, developing a standard operating procedure to extract it,” Parekh noted in the interview. “At PreveCeutical, we’re working with five different strains which have different concentrations of cannabinoids to THC, and the whole plan here is to develop a range of products which can then be personalized to the patient and also to the disease as the clinical trials data becomes available.”
Through the extraction work, PreveCeutical’s researchers will be able to create a library of chemically fingerprinted cannabinoid extracts that can then be optimized and incorporated into the company’s Sol-gel technology.
PreveCeutical’s ultimate aim is to use its Sol-gel formulations to deliver the cannabis-based therapeutics in a healthful, rapidly catalyzing non-smoked method to assist patients dealing with pain, inflammation, anxiety, seizures and other neurological disorders. The nasal application of the Sol-gels provides the means for the medication to cross the blood-brain barrier without having to run the gauntlet in the gut first, delivering medications with the fewest side effects possible.
Parekh said that the company expects to begin clinical trials by late next year. The research work is being conducted through PreveCeutical’s partner, the University of Queensland’s Pharmacy Australia Centre of Excellence. The university has received several prototypes from its contracted drug delivery device manufacturer for the in-development spray applicator that will ultimately be used to administer the Sol-gels, and it has been assessing their performance.
“We’ve now honed in on a couple of devices which are very promising with our Sol-gel platform,” Parekh said. “It’s interesting because I’ve attended a number of different seminars over the last six to 12 months, looking at other companies that are working in the spray area, and inadvertently when you listen to these seminars you understand some of the complexities that can arise because of the number of sprays that those patients will need to administer. You’re talking upwards of one or two dozen sprays every 24 hours, which is effectively the patient drinking it post-nasally. And so we believe at PreveCeutical we’re going to have the edge on this because our spray will gel as soon as it hits the nasal mucosa, avoiding any post-nasal swallowing, and therefore applications from maybe once or thrice a week will be what we’ll be targeting.”
PreveCeutical is expecting to take advantage of the heightened public interest in cannabis-related medications worldwide. Parekh said that the company has also ensured that the anticipated formulation will be safe for use by all ages from neonate to elderly, with no age-based detrimental effects, and the researchers are looking at multiple ways of channeling the dosage, such as wafers and tablets, in addition to the sprays.
At the same time, the drive to legalize cannabis may create challenges for the company, as much of the available supply is channeled toward recreational use instead of medicinal use, he said. However, PreveCeutical still anticipates a bright future of using its positioning to tailor its products’ well-defined chemistries and delivery methods to patients’ needs.
For more information, visit the company’s website at www.PreveCeutical.com
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