Introduction to
MSMS Society dismayed at latest MHRA decision on Sativex
Dated 10 June 2005
Commenting on the MHRA's renewed decision not to grant a licence for the cannabis-derived medicine, Sativex, following an appeal to the Medicines Commission, Mike O'Donovan, chief executive of the Multiple Sclerosis Society, said today (Friday 10 June 2005):
Commenting on the MHRA's renewed decision not to grant a licence for the cannabis-derived medicine, Sativex, following an appeal to the Medicines Commission, Mike O'Donovan, chief executive of the Multiple Sclerosis Society, said today (Friday 10 June 2005):
"This news will be greeted with absolute dismay by many of
the 85,000 people in the UK who have MS and suffer from
distressing symptoms including spasticity and pain. How long
must they wait? When the Society spoke at the Medicines Commission hearing, we
stressed that the choice of available treatments was limited and
that many people did not find them effective. It was also
emphasised that measurements used to assess new treatments for a
fluctuating condition like MS do not always detect significant
benefits patients feel. We believe there is now convincing
evidence that cannabis-derived drugs can significantly improve
their quality of life. As the MHRA has said the quality and safety of Sativex are not
in question, it is profoundly dispiriting that people who could
soon have been gaining relief will now have to wait much longer
to see if the treatment will be prescribed on the NHS."
MS Society (www.mssociety.org.uk)
