The online pain clinic and prescriber of cannabis medicines is set for expansion to help tackle the ‘silent epidemic’ affecting millions of patients across the country.
Leva Clinic, which prescribes medical cannabis to patients living with chronic pain, is set to expand its reach following investment from two major industry players.
The clinic has secured £3 million of funding from Óskare Capital and the founder of Weedmaps, Justin Hartfield, to scale the delivery of its digital first solutions which are aimed at improving the health and wellbeing of chronic pain sufferers.
Dubbed the ‘silent epidemic’, studies suggest chronic pain could affect more than two fifths of the UK population, meaning that 28 million adults are living with pain that has lasted for three months or longer.
Established in 2019, Leva Clinic is the UK’s first online clinic for chronic pain, delivering a range of services to help patients manage their condition.
It is a member of Project Twenty21, the UK observational study gathering evidence on the efficacy of cannabis-based medicines.
As the producer of Satoline, it is also one of three suppliers participating in the ‘I Am Billy’ Foundation programme, which is helping to subsidise the cost of products for children with severe epilepsy, who are undergoing assessment by the Refractory Epilepsy Specialist Clinical Advisory Service (RESCAS).
Leva’s services are accessible through the Boots Health Hub and the clinic also has developed partnerships with several NHS trusts.
Co-founder and CEO Eric Bystrom said the investment would be used to help more patients across the UK access its services.
“Leva’s unique patient centric platform is delivering for our patients and with this investment we intend to further increase our reach across the UK and continue to build our offering through digital access,” he commented.
“Justin’s experience in developing digital offerings coupled with Oskare’s life sciences expertise make them the perfect partners for this next stage of our journey.”
Óskare Capital is a European medical and pharmaceutical cannabis fund.
Oliver Lamb, co-founder and investment manager at Óskare Capital said: “We are excited about our investment in Leva and their much needed pain management platform.
“One of the key issues that Óskare Capital seeks to address in the medical cannabis market is patient access, and Leva are breaking down the barriers for those patients most in need. Having been in discussions with the Leva team for over a year, we have been continually impressed by their vision and dedication.”
Dr John Rogers, neurologist and co-founder of Óskare, will be joining Leva’s board, along with Dr Arun Bhaskar, a consultant in pain medicine and president of the British Pain Society, who will join as an independent director.
“We have been impressed by Leva’s approach to patient care, also affirmed by their NHS contracts and recent CQC report,” commented Rogers.
“Leva has assembled a highly experienced team of pain management experts, and we are excited to help Leva make these patient services available across the UK.”
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