Once reviled and criminalised in many countries both in the metropolis and here in the Caribbean, marijuana continues to consolidate its relatively recent rise as both a recreational option and a medicinal plant, compelling a surfeit of new regulations in various countries that lends it an unprecedented respectability.
Its latest breakthrough in the world of medicine is associated with its links to the work being done by the cannabis research company, Flavocure Biotech, which recently secured approval from the United States Patent Office to press the plant into service in pursuit of a drug for the treatment of glaucoma and myopia. The US Patent Office reportedly issued the patent on May 7th last, labelling it as a “therapeutic agent containing cannabis flavonoid derivatives for ocular disorders.”
Flavocure Biotech Inc. a pharmaceutical company majority-owned by Dr Henry Lowe has had a remarkable run of recent successes discovering cannabis-derived molecules for use in the medical sector. With regard to his latest breakthrough, Lowe, a Jamaican national, is quoted as saying that he is “excited” to be positioned “…to do this type of work which will help millions of people throughout the world.”
Flavocure filed for the patent nearly three years ago in July 2016. Lowe said that the approval in May realises the 12th patent so far from the United States. The scientist and entrepreneur is part of a group of global scientists continually researching the wider medical value of cannabis.
A report seen by Stabroek Business says that Lowe will launch two versions of the eye treatment drug, one as a nutraceutical and the other as a pharmaceutical. The nutraceutical is expected to be on the market later this year, while the pharmaceutical will require more elaborate and costly clinical trials that could last for several years. The patent allows for Flavocure to seek funding for the trials.
These recent breakthroughs reportedly build on research work done in the 1970s, which resulted in the development of Canasol as the first commercial medicinal agent derived from ganja. That research was developed from scientific work led by Professor Manley West and Dr Albert Lockhart.
Lowe has now developed what he has termed “a second-generation drug” for treating glaucoma. Unlike the Canasol eye drops, the newer drug can be administered orally. It has become the latest in a series of approvals received by Lowe’s firms for cannabis or ganja-related research, which is expected to lead eventually to the commercialisation of the drugs.
Flavocure Biotech Inc. is a United States-based research laboratory owned by seven shareholders. Lowe and his Eden Garden Group of Companies are the primary owners. In April this year, the Asia-based Denning Growth Fund, paid US$1.5 million for an undisclosed equity stake in the company that will allow for the funding of research and the movement of drugs to market. The Denning Growth Fund was reportedly attracted to Flavocure on account of the advancements which the company has made with its pancreatic cancer drug developed from compounds found in cannabis.
Cannabis has recorded major legalisation breakthroughs in several countries in recent years, developments that have not only enhanced its profile as a medicinal tool but has also given rise to a surfeit of investments in the plant by investors targeting the leisure industry.
