In the cannabis sector of drug development, there is a movement happening. And Rob Davidson, chief executive officer of CURE Pharmaceuticals is making sure his company is ready for the next steps.
In the cannabis sector of drug development, there is a movement happening. And Rob Davidson, chief executive officer of CURE Pharmaceutical is making sure his company is ready for the next steps.
Earlier this month, CURE became the first and only oral thin film company to gain a Schedule I license from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency to manufacture pharmaceuticals using both cannabis plant extracts and synthetic cannabidiol. Davidson told BioSpace that the license allows the company to become a bigger player in the medical cannabis industry because the license will allow the company to take a deeper dive in harnessing the potential of the cannabis plant. Davidson said there are 140 different cannabinoid molecules in the plant that have a therapeutic effect. With the new license, Davidson said it will allow CURE to work quickly to help develop potential treatments for a wide variety of diseases and disorders if research shows a therapeutic benefit from the plant for that indication. He said it will allow the company to take a look at how the plant can be used to impact oncology and anxiety, as well as other treatment areas.
“The movement is happening and CURE is there as a part of it,” Davidson said.
With the new license, CURE has the right to manufacture pharmaceuticals based on both the natural cannabis plans, as well as synthetic cannabinoids produced by chemical synthesis. Also, the company will be able to manufacture the products in its Oxnard, Calif. facility, which means the company will be able to rapidly expand. Over the next 24 months, Davidson said the company will be expanding by looking to add additional talent on both the research and science side of the business.
The company’s latest patent covers the extraction and fractioning of bioactive cannabinoid molecules such as tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and CBD from the cannabis plant, allowing the integration of these molecules into a dosage form, such as CUREfilm. Cannabinoids are chemical compounds found in plants, such as cannabis, that interact with the body’s endocannabinoid system. The endocannabinoid system is recognized as an important modulatory system in the function of the brain, endocrine and immune tissues.
Davidson told BioSpace that the endocannabinoid system is a new frontier of medical research. It’s only been in the last decade or so that scientists have been looking at the endocannabinoid system for disease treatments.
Last year, GW Pharmaceuticals broke through a glass ceiling when it comes to cannabis-based medicine when it snagged approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for Epidiolex, a treatment for two rare forms of epilepsy, Lennox-Gastaut syndrome (LGS) and Dravet syndrome. Epidiolex is derived from Cannabidiol (CBD), a chemical component of the Cannabis sativa plant, more commonly known as marijuana. However, CBD does not cause intoxication like illicit use of marijuana.
As a result of GW’s success, as well as other research in the field, Davidson said pharmaceutical companies are looking to capitalize on the cannabis arena and the new license from the DEA allows CURE to be ready as a conduit for that.
One way that CURE will be a benefit to others doing research is with its CUREfilm product. Davidson noted that while there are numerous therapeutic benefits from the cannabis plant, it can be difficult to deliver them to the body. The CUREfilm technology can be used to allow for sublingual delivery and delivery of the medication through the pockets of the cheek. Davidson noted that delivering medication that way is faster and safer. He said there is less concern about toxicity in the liver and because the medication does not have to be dissolved in the gut, there is less degradation.
“This is a great potential for us,” Davidson said.
The Schedule I license, Davidson said, will be a game changer for the company. He said the approval from the DEA will allow the company to take advantage of its latest patent for the extraction and purification of cannabis plant material and expands the potential formulations the company can develop. Coupled with the company’s “growing patent estate and proprietary manufacturing process,” the new license will extend the company’s competitive advantage and bring it closer to “bringing breakthrough pharmaceuticals to consumers.”
