Cannitrol – Cannabis Control Agent

Marijuana news from around the world

Colorado CBD pharmaceutical bill gets Hickenlooper’s signature, awaits FDA approval

A novel CBD pharmaceutical drug — if approved by the FDA — will have a path to pharmacies in Colorado.

Gov. John Hickenlooper this week signed House Bill 1187, which allows for doctors to prescribe and pharmacies to dispense FDA-approved medicines that contain cannabidiol, a nonpsychoactive cannabis plant compound.

The impetus for the bill was Epidiolex, a CBD-centric drug for rare seizure disorders. London-based GW Pharmaceuticals, via its U.S. subsidiary Greenwich Biosciences, developed Epidiolex utilizing plant-derived cannabis compounds but hit roadblocks on the state level because of marijuana’s Schedule I designation.

In Colorado, the bill signed Monday sought to address a state statute that prevented pharmacies from dispensing cannabis products.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is expected to issue a decision on Epidiolex’s new drug application by the end of this month. In April, an FDA advisory committee gave a unanimous recommendation for approval.