High hopes for new dried cannabis pellet developed in Moncton

Moncton pharmacist Peter Ford has high hopes for a new dried cannabis pellet.

Ford, who'sin collaboration with pharmaceutical companyTetraBio-Pharma, saidit's a unique productand he's hoping for approval from Health Canada.

"When we get a drug identification number, we can then sell it, commercialize it and have a pharmaceutical cannabis product.It's exciting and it's the first smokeable dosage form in the world," he said.

High hopes for a new dried cannabis pellet

6 years ago

Duration 0:38

This new cannabis pellet could be the worlds first smokable medicinal tablet.

Ford saidthe product is in the final stages of pre-market approvaland a lot of work has gone into its development.

He saidthe compressed tablet, also known as PPP001, contains 9.5 per centtetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and 2.5 per centcannabidiol (CBD) and must be smoked or vaporized.

Ford saidduring testingthey invented an artificial lung to measure the amount of drug inhaled with each puff and they studied how much of the drug ended up in the blood stream. They also developed the pellet press and a pipe.

"The pipe we've developed, we know that every puff is going to deliver 1.77 milligrams of THC and .46 milligrams of CBD and then the pipe extinguishes so there is no waste," Ford said.

Ford saidthe drug is meantfor a variety of patients.

"We are doing it for chronic pain, be it neuropathic, which means nerve pain, and we're also doing it in palliative care for end-of-life care to reduce pain," he said.

Ford's partner is Ontario-based Tetra Bio-Pharma, a publicly traded company.

Chief scientist Guy Chamberlandsaidthis product could help replace opioids such as fentanyl.

"We're really aiming for a medication that will be administered by prescription,that will be covered by a drug planand that we'll finally have this proven in medical trials that meet all pharmaceutical medical industry standardsso doctors can prescribe it knowing,'Yes, it's safe,andyes, it works," Chamberland said.

Ford agreed.

"Right now cannabis, even though it's used under the [Access to Cannabis for Medical Purposes Regulations], or what they call the ACMPR, people can not get reimbursed for it and when you get a [drug identification number]it thenbecomes a drug with a notice of compliance from Health Canada and then it becomes insurable from both private and public insurers," he said.

The pellet is in the final stages of clinical trials. If approved, it could be marketed by the end of next year.

Ford saidhe's built additional space in his current pharmacy on St. George Boulevardin Moncton, where the product will be made. A warehouse is also under construction in Scoudouc.

They hope to sell the drug in Canada,the United States and Europe.