Top chemists at the University of Sussex are developing new ways of administering cannabis-based medicines which could change the perception of medical cannabis in the UK and finally pave the way for NHS access.
While flower floods the UK market and companies compete over who can shout the loudest in what has become a highly-saturated space, a team of chemists from medical cannabis company 113 Botanicals and the University of Sussex have been working away quietly in the laboratory.
This collaboration between the UK’s Sussex University Drug Discovery Centre and 113 Botanicals has led to the development of new products which they say could ‘revolutionise’ how patients are prescribed cannabis-based medicines.
Co-founder, CTO and Research Project Director, Mazin Nicola, one of the inventors of the technology behind the original nicotine patch, first approached Professor John Spencer, head of the Drug Discovery Centre about the idea of formulating new drugs from molecules found in cannabis back in 2019.
Led by Nicola, who has been a Visiting Research Scientist at the University of Sussex for several years, and principal scientist, Dr Daniel Guest, 113 Botanicals has developed its own IP-protected “single-step” extraction process which is “low energy but very high yield” and enables them to produce a full-spectrum extract without the need for further purification steps.
Dr Mazin Nicola, Co-Founder, 113 Botanicals
Armed with this technology and the expertise of Professor Spencer, Professor Ali Nokhodchi, Dr Daniel Guest and Dr Barnaby Greenland, the team has been developing formulations, which aim to address some of the challenges currently facing patients in accessing the medicinal benefits of cannabis.
The first of which, expected to be on the market in Q1 of 2025, is a controlled–release oral capsule that can deliver a “safe and consistent dosage over a predicted length of time”.
“We were able to formulate capsules which, rather than delivering all of the ingredient in one go, deliver it over a sustained period of time,” explains Dr Greenland.
“Our research has shown that we are able to produce varying formulations that can meet different needs, for example, different dosages, over different periods of time, which people may feel is more suitable for their condition.”
According to 113 Botanicals’ Chief Strategy Officer, Tim Kneen, the work at Sussex University has shown that medicinal products produced using this technology are safer in terms of dose administration management and more effective in terms of bioavailability and pharmacokinetics.
He says the capsules are releasing “close to 100% of the active ingredients”, at a more linear rate over time, compared to the maximums released from other similar products.
Tim Kneen, Chief Strategy Officer, 113 Botanicals.
Meeting the needs of patients and doctors
The launch of the capsules will be closely followed by the launch of transdermal patches, the patent for which was filed in January of this year.
Given his background, Nicola was passionate about creating a “novel and effective patch tailored uniquely to cannabis”.
The result incorporates microneedle technology, 3D printing and polymer combination optimisation, and offers a non-pulmonary delivery format that can produce a consistent amount of activity for up to 24 hours.
“For those patients that have trouble swallowing, for example, children who may not be able to manage that consistent delivery of medicine-like capsules, or patients suffering from different types of dysphagia such as in neuromuscular abnormalities during cancer treatment, it can immediately derive huge benefits,” says Kneen.
“You can get the medicine into the bloodstream at exactly the prescribed dose, so you have a consistent level of control.”
The company has purposely pursued product formats which are associated with conventional pharmaceutical medicine, rather than the flower and extracts that are predominantly prescribed in the UK and administered by inhalation or sublingually (under the tongue).
As Nicola explains: “A key focus was to improve accuracy in dosing and to provide an alternative to pulmonary inhalation and the potential for associated risks that studies have shown.”
The team hopes that not only will this appeal to those patients with specific needs and those termed by the industry as “cannabis naive”, but also to doctors, many of whom remain wary of prescribing cannabis in its current forms.
“Doctors would always prefer something that is more predictable, safe and easy for patients to self-manage, and that’s what we are able to deliver,” says Kneen.
“We’re producing something that they should be that much more familiar with in terms of treatment and that they should feel more comfortable providing access to, hopefully, on a regular, sustainable and affordable basis.”
Dr Barnaby Greenland, University of Sussex Drug Discovery Centre
Laying the groundwork for full licensing
Both products will enter the market as ‘specials’ or unlicensed medicines, but 113 Botanicals is also laying the groundwork for full pharmaceutical licensing in the future and is already engaging with the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) on the development of clinical trials.
“Launching it in this way means that we can capture a lot more insight and data as we go along that will inform the clinical programme and help to hopefully accelerate that pathway towards a full licence,” Kneen adds.
Taking the well-trodden, regulator-approved pathway to developing these drugs, is part of a long-term strategy which it is hoped will lead to NHS access further down the line.
“We don’t think of this any differently to any other conventional drugs, it just happens to be cannabis,” says Dr Greenland, who has spent his career in drug development bringing new medicines to market.
“The first thing to do is to show you that you can make them under the correct conditions, that they’re reproducible and that’s the steps that we’re going through at the moment.
He adds: “By taking this approach we’ll end up with something which hopefully is able to reach patients, which is ultimately what we want. We want something which will make people’s lives better, that’s the holy grail of working in this area.”
You can meet the team from 113 Botanicals at Cannabis Europa, taking place in London from 25-26th June. Find the full agenda and tickets here
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Author: Sarah Sinclair
