U.S. Patent No. 9,895,342 B2 issued on February 20, 2018, for “Cannabinoids for Use in the Treatment of Neuropathic Pain.” It is assigned to GW Pharma Ltd., which is a fairly large pharmaceutical company based in the United Kingdom. The invention disclosure relates to methods for treatment of neuropathic pain using cannabinoids, and specifically in a composition including cannabigerol (CBG), cannabichromene (CBC), cannabidivarin (CBDV), or tetrahydrocannabivarin (THCV).
Figure 1 shows an outline of its therapeutic uses, specifically for neuropathic pain, but also including treatments for nociceptive and psychogenic pain. An interesting note from the prosecution file wrapper is that this invention was originally assigned from Ohtsuka Pharmaceuticals.
Claim 1 reads:
- A method of treating a patient with neuropathic pain consisting essentially of administering to the patient an effective amount of cannabidivarin (CBDV) wherein the CBDV is of a purity of greater than 99% (w/w), or is produced synthetically and does not include cannabidiol (CBD) and/or tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).
Dependent claims 2-3 further limit claim 1 to treatment of peripheral neuropathic pain and allodynia. Dependent claims 4-9 read specific concentrations of CBDV or administration dosages and combinations in the relief of neuropathic pain. Since the specification discloses additional embodiments for treating nociceptive and psychogenic pain, it is conceivable that there will be further child applications, either continuations or continuations-in-part, filed directed to treatments for post-herpetic neuralgia, multiple sclerosis and brachial plexus.
Although not one of the largest pharmaceutical companies, the ‘342 patent does represent Big Pharma’s foray into the world of cannabis pharmaceutical drug treatments, although traditionally Big Pharma has steered clear of cannabis research for a variety of reasons. GW Pharma, however, has a fairly long history (since 1998) in cannabis drug research. In fact, its CBD-based epilepsy drug, Epidiolex, is expected to be sold in Colorado pharmacies, as soon as a bill passes the Colorado legislature approving its commercial sale in the state. It is probably to be expected that there will be more patents issued to other Big Pharma companies in the coming years.