Philippines Drug Council Approves CBD Use For Epilepsy

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Philippines Drug Council Approves CBD Use For Epilepsy

DDB clarifies: CBD is not cannabis per se

It's a small step, but it's practically a foot in the door. Supporters of the legalization of cannabis as a medicine won a virtual victory when the Dangerous Drugs Council (DDB) recently approved a resolution authorizing the use of cannabidiol (CBD) to relieve severe forms of epilepsy. The Dangerous Drugs Board in the Philippines would like to clarify that the use of marijuana remains illegal in the country for recreational and medical purposes. However, the use of cannabidiol is considered authorized for the treatment of certain rare forms of epilepsy such as Lennox-Gastaut and Dravet syndrome.

The DDB is the government body responsible for formulating drug prevention and control policies and strategies.

According to a report by the World Health Organization (WHO), “In humans, CBD shows no effect indicating potential for abuse or dependence. To date, there is no evidence of public health issues associated with the use of CBD ”.

Undersecretary Benjamin Reyes, permanent member of DDB, said the WHO has recommended to the Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND), the DDB's counterpart at the United Nations, to allow CBD containing 0,2% of THC to be reclassified in the 1971 United Nations Convention on Psychotropic Substances as Schedule 4, or a substance whose medical use in treatment is currently accepted and which has a low potential for abuse .

American approval

The Philippines is a signatory to the United Nations Convention on Psychotropic Drugs.

A quick turn of events in 2018, the United States Drug Enforcement Agency approved the legal use of CBD with 0,1% THC. In the same year, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the legal use of Epidiolex, a CBD oral solution made by GW Pharmaceuticals, for the treatment of seizures associated with two rare and severe forms of epilepsy - Lennox-Gastaut syndrome and Dravet syndrome - in patients 2 years of age and older.

Who can benefit ?

It is estimated that in 2014, 250000 children in the Philippines suffered from epileptic seizures, according to Dr Donnabel Cunanan, dentist, founding member and spokesperson for the Philippines Cannabis Compassion Society (PCCS), main defender of Bill 279.

If this bill becomes law, it will legalize and regulate the medical use of cannabis that has been found to have beneficial and therapeutic uses in the treatment of chronic or debilitating diseases.

It will also establish Medical Cannabis Dispensaries (MCCCs), which will be licensed to sell, supply medical cannabis to qualified patients or their caregivers through licensed pharmacists.

No invoice needed

“In fact, our position is that there is no need for a bill,” said DDB's Reyes. “We can speed up the process if the legislature passes the bill. We do not need to wait for the decision of the CND because our local laws will have priority ”.

“But even without the law, as long as it is in the form of a drug, it can be registered,” he said. “Like opiates and morphine, these are dangerous drugs, but as medicine they can be used. Cocaine is used for anesthesia ”.

He said that the DDB has conducted public hearings with the PCCS, in particular on the following points:

  • Reclassification of drugs containing CBD with no more than 0,1% THC from Schedule 1 (no medical use currently accepted in treatment in the Philippines) and Schedule 2 (currently accepted medical use ) in Schedule 4 (currently accepted for medical use in the Philippines and has low potential for abuse);
  • Creation of guidelines for the resolution of the board of directors of the DDB entitled “Requirements for the issuance of a license to acquire, possess and use unregistered pharmaceuticals containing dangerous drugs for personal use”.

“We adopted it in principle last December,” Reyes said.

The downside, for now, is that theEpidiolex costs $ 32 per patient, which is enough for one year of use.

Senator Bong Go, chairman of the Senate Committee on Health and Sports, is working on an amendment to the budget allocation for the drug, Reyes said.

The plan, Reyes said, is to allow the University of the Philippine College of Medicine to import Epidiolex, to create a registry for patients who really need it, to get the drug for free.

“It will take some time because we need a Senate budget allocation,” Reyes said.

However, it is a welcome development for cannabis patients, their families and proponents of upgrading cannabis to Schedule 4. He recognizes that cannabis is a drug, and has very low potential for abuse. ".

A step in the right direction

“In addition, the efforts of the DDB, after the discussions at Malacañang (official residence of the President of the Philippines), to create a mechanism for patient access to cannabis is another welcome development. It departs from the intensely prohibitive stance of government agencies on this plant which has the potential to cure and help so many people, ”the PCCS said. "We hope that this step in the right direction will pave the way for affordable, safe and available medical cannabis for all patients."

Reyes believes that cannabis "really has a medicinal use".

“But we have to be careful when we talk about medicine, because it has two sides: the good effects and the side effects. The benefits must outweigh the negative effects. But I am sure that eventually, with technology, we will be able to remove impurities, ”he said.

If the bill is approved as law, more than 200000 children with seizures will have the opportunity to live a life without or with fewer seizures.

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