Research by Portal Cannabis & Saúde shows a 342.3% growth in sales of cannabis-based products in pharmacies in Brazil since 2018. From the entry of the first product on the market to date, revenue has expanded significantly: 2021 to 2022, the increase was 156.1%, moving BRL 77,008,596.00. Prescriptions grew 487.8% in the last year. The number of doctors who prescribe cannabidiol-based products for purchase in pharmacies increased from 6.3 thousand in 2021 to 15.4 thousand last year, an increase of 146%. Among all medical specialties that prescribe cannabidiol, neurologists are 33%; psychiatrists, 26%; geriatricians, 8%; pediatricians, 7%; general practitioners, 5% and orthopedists, 3%. “Essentially, these specialties represent more than 80% of the importance of prescriptive volume in this market”, says the study. Medicine For the general practitioner with international certification in Endocannabinoid Medicine by the WeCann Academy (2021), Tércio Sousa, the numbers indicate the veracity of the information that cannabis is essential in medicine today. “It is a path of no return. Doctors who only treat with allopathy are often unsuccessful in the treatment and then they start to lose patients to those who are using cannabis. Most of the patients who today seek treatment with cannabis are people who have been fighting, for example, the pain, spasms and tremor of Parkinson’s for a long time and do not see results”, said Tércio, partner physician of the Associação de Apoio à Medical Cannabis Research and Patients (Apepi). According to him, the high price of the products is still an obstacle and the way out is the domestic production of cannabis. “Today we see associations, such as Apepi, growing and increasing the production of plants and oils, supported by court decisions. Apepi has a production capacity of five thousand bottles per month. From the moment they release the national planting, everything is resolved. For that, it is necessary to change the legislation”, he pondered. Anvisa In addition to the purchase of cannabis products on the domestic market, it is possible to import exceptional products only for personal use, upon registration and prior approval from the National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa), in addition to a medical prescription, informed the regulatory agency. Authorizations granted to import cannabis-based products increased from 850 in 2015 to 153,671 in 2022. “We clarify that there may be more than one authorization issued for the same patient over a year, for example”, said the Anvisa. The agency also clarified that, currently, there are 25 cannabis products authorized for sale in Brazilian pharmacies and only one registered cannabis-based medicine, Mevatyl. According to Anvisa, cannabis products constitute a category created in Brazil in 2019. “They do not have a pre-approved indication in Brazil, as they do not have conclusive efficacy and safety data at the level required for the registration of a medicine. The indication and form of use, as well as the target population of these products, are not previously approved by the agency, leaving its definition under the responsibility of the patient’s attending physician”, said the agency. “Thus, these products can be used by the Brazilian population without other therapeutic alternatives, according to medical guidance and prescription, while clinical studies confirming their effectiveness are completed so that they can then be registered as drugs in the future. The cannabis-based medicine, on the other hand, has specific indications proven and validated through clinical studies, just like any other medicine,” added Anvisa. According to Tércio Sousa, scientific proof of the effectiveness and safety of products requires time and investment. “The main research done so far was sponsored by the pharmaceutical industry itself. Now it is that research institutions, such as Fiocruz, and universities are entering, such as the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN), which obtained authorization for planting”, he concluded.
Agência Brasil
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