In what was thought to be a first for a major mainstream health conference on the continent, cannabis and psychedelic medicine were firmly on the agenda at the inaugural HLTH Europe.
One of the leading platforms for global health innovation, HLTH brought its flagship conference to Europe for the first time this summer.
Over 3,000 attendees were estimated to have travelled to the RAI conference centre in Amsterdam for the four-day event which took place from 17-20 June.
Alongside pertinent topics such as longevity, AI and women’s health, speakers explored the latest developments in psychedelics on the main stage on Wednesday 19 June.
The conversation around psychedelic medicine has been gathering significant momentum over the last few years.
In August 2023, UK-based COMPASS Pathways raised $285 million for psilocybin therapy in mental health.
Meanwhile globally, Australia legalised authorised the prescription of MDMA and psilocybin for use in psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy to treat specific mental health conditions. And the US FDA is currently considering a new drug application for MDMA-assisted therapy for the treatment of PTSD.
Kabir Nath, CEO of Compass Pathways, Florian Brand, CEO and Co-Founder of atai Life Sciences and Genevieve Jurvetson, Co-Founder of The Jurvetson Foundation took part in the panel Transforming Perspectives on Psychedelics: A Journey Beyond the Trip.
Florian Brand, CEO and Co-Founder of atai Life Sciences, Kabir Nath, CEO of Compass Pathways and Genevieve Jurvetson, Co-Founder of The Jurvetson Foundation. Photo: HLTH Europe
Panellists offered an overview of the market in Europe and the US, including recent regulatory changes and what the science says so far.
“We are incredibly early in the rediscovery of psychedelics, there is still a huge amount that we still have to learn but what we have seen so far is really exciting,” said Nath.
While Brand added: “With psychedelic compounds we have something which is a true paradigm shift in psychiatry based on the initial data that we have.”
Watch the full panel discussion here
Eighths and pains: Europe’s cannabis markets
The conversation followed one on the ever-evolving European cannabis market on Tuesday 17 June.
The panel ‘Eighths and Pains: The Ongoing Trials and Tribulations of Cannabis in Healthcare,‘ included speakers Karan Wadhera, Managing Partner at cannabis investment firm Casa Verde, Finn Age Hänsel, Founder & CEO, Sanity Group, and Clarissa Sowemimo-Coker, Chief Executive Officer of Oxford Cannabinoid Technologies Holdings.
Karan Wadhera, Managing Partner, Casa Verde, Clarissa Sowemimo-Coker, CEO OCT, Finn Age Hänsel, Founder & CEO, Sanity Group, Sarah Sinclair, Cannabis Health. Photo: HLTH Europe
Again, panellists discussed he latest regulatory changes, most notably in Germany following the introduction of the CanG Act in April, as well as the challenges and intersections of pharmaceutical, wellness, and recreational cannabis markets.
Hansel highlighted how the number of patients accessing medical cannabis prescriptions has risen significantly since the law change which saw cannabis removed from the list of Narcotics making it easier for doctors to prescribe.
“Everyone in Germany believes that the biggest change that we saw in April was recreational cannabis, but we have seen a massive impact in the medical space,” he said.
“We have seen a 70% jump in market demand, until April only 0.2% of the German population had access to cannabis… I believe it could be a big accelerator for the growth of medical cannabis in Germany over the next one to three years.”
He added: “The legislation means that those patients who we might call ‘wellness’ patients with stress anxiety, sleep problems for example, can now more easily access prescriptions… in my opinion it is better for these people to access it through a pharmacy rather than from the illegal market.”
Karan Wadhera, Managing Partner, Casa Verde, Clarissa Sowemimo-Coker, CEO OCT, Finn Age Hänsel, Founder & CEO, Sanity Group, Sarah Sinclair, Cannabis Health. Photo: HLTH Europe
Watch the full panel discussion here
“Pushing the boundaries” of healthcare
Following the event the panellists noted the significance of these areas of medicine being discussed at a major mainstream health event.
“It was great to be at HLTH Europe talking about cannabinoid R&D alongside friends and colleagues,” said Sowemimo-Coker.
“Bringing cannabinoids into the mainstream of biopharma drug development is central to our mission at OCT and sharing a stage with the likes of Bayer, GSK, J&J and Novo Nordisk is yet more evidence of us being exactly where we belong.”
Wadhera, who travelled from the US and has made a number of recent investments in the European market, added: “It was great to see the growing interest in the cannabis industry from a European audience. Given the recent regulatory changes in the region, there is a lot to be excited about.”
HLTH Europe’s Head of Strategy & Content, Lina Behrens, told Cannabis Health that the team believes in “open dialogue” as being key to better patient care.
“At HLTH Europe, we are committed to pushing the boundaries of healthcare discussions and innovation,” she commented.
“We believe that open dialogue can foster better-informed healthcare policies and practices, ultimately benefiting patient care and outcomes across Europe.”
The post Cannabis and psychedelics ‘push boundaries’ at first HLTH Europe event appeared first on Cannabis Health News.
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Author: Sarah Sinclair
