Updated December 1, 2020
Updated December 1, 2020
GW Pharmaceuticals is positioned differently than most other companies that produce medical cannabis. Founded in the United Kingdom in 1998 to cultivate and research medicinal uses of cannabis, rather than operating within the traditional realm of medical cannabis sales and waiting for countries to open their medical markets before moving in, GW has been focused on developing cannabis-derived pharmaceutical drugs. GW was the first company to develop a prescription medicine derived from the cannabis plant with its creation of Sativex (Nabiximols), and has since begun marketing Epidyolex - its CBD product - in European markets. Though GW has a business model similar to that of a traditional pharmaceutical company, products such as Sativex are nonetheless in direct competition with medical cannabis firms and products as they are typically prescribed by the same physicians and sold through the same channels. GW retains marketing authorization rights for the United Kingdom, but its Sativex product is distributed by pharmaceutical company Almirall elsewhere in Europe.
Sativex is the world's first prescription cannabis-derived medicine in Europe and is commonly used to treat spasticity due to multiple sclerosis. The product is a 100ml bottle of oral spray which contains a roughly 1:1 ratio (2.7mg of THC and 2.5mg of CBD) in each spritz.
In addition to producing medicines with THC, GW also creates cannabis-derived medicines which are CBD-only. Epidiolex (deemed Epidyolex in Europe) is a cannabidiol product that was initially approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat seizures associated with Lennox-Gastaut and Dravet syndromes, and approved for European launch in September 2019. Commercialization is currently underway in the UK and Germany, while launches are expected in Italy, France and Spain in late 2020-H1 2021, following pricing and reimbursement negotiations.
GW also has plans in place for the second wave launch, which will include ten additional European markets.
Source: Brightfield Group 2020