NEW NHS data suggests that the number of prescriptions for ‘licensed’ cannabis-based medicines rose significantly in 2022.
Data gathered from NHS OpenPrescribing suggests that prescriptions for Nabilone, Sativex and Epidyolex, currently the only three cannabis medicines licensed by the NHS, rose by 45% between 2021 and 2022.
This was an acceleration on the 14% growth seen in the prior year, and a significant improvement from the three relatively stagnant years of growth since 2018, when medical cannabis was officially made available in the UK.
Broken down by individual drugs, Sativex, which is licensed in the UK for adults with MS-related muscle spasticity, accounted for the lion’s share of prescriptions, rising from 1,612 in 2021 to 2,546 in 2022, representing a 57% increase.
Nabilone, which is prescribed on the NHS to relieve sickness associated with chemotherapy, fell slightly from 398 prescriptions in 2021 to 371 in 2022. Meanwhile, Epidyolex was prescribed just six times during 2022, according to the data.
Other unlicensed medical cannabis medicines such as Dronabinol, also prescribed for relieving sickness associated with chemotherapy, saw an increase last year, too, with Dronabinol prescriptions rising from 281 in 2021 to 407 last year.
It’s worth noting that this data contrasts with previously reported data garnered from a parliamentary request from Lord Field of Birkenhead in July 2022, which suggested prescription rates for licensed medicines were higher.
‘Intolerable’ situation
Yesterday, Labour MP and co-chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Medical Cannabis under Prescription Tonia Antoniazzi once again pushed Health Secretary Steve Barclay to engage in talks to offer a solution for families unable to access vital medical cannabis prescriptions on the NHS.
In a parliamentary question, she said: “The situation is as intolerable as ever. Both product supply and cost are causing families great pain, and their children are desperate. I urge the Secretary of State to meet me to discuss convening a roundtable to help identify solutions to the crisis of lack of access. I am still awaiting a response from his Minister from 18 January 2023.”
Mr Barclay’s response kept to well-trodden rhetoric from the Conservative administration, citing the National Institute for Health and Care Research’s (NIHR) calls for more evidence on the safety of cannabis medicines.
According to new data released today from Sapphire Medical Clinics, this lack of access is leading to £3.57bn being spent on illegal cannabis for health conditions every year in the UK.
The data suggests that almost 1.8m people diagnosed with medical conditions are turning to the black market to source cannabis, up nearly 30% on pre-pandemic levels in 2019.
It goes on to suggest that the average person sourcing illegal cannabis to treat chronic pain spends around £156 a month.
Dr Mikael Sodergren, Co-Founder of Sapphire Medical Clinics, comments: “The fact that so many people are unnecessarily putting themselves at risk, when they could be eligible for legal cannabis medicine on prescription from a specialist, demonstrates the huge lack of awareness in the UK both among patients and the healthcare community.”
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