U.S. Patent No. 9,943,491 B2 issued on April 17, 2018, for “Compressed tablet containing cannabidiol, method for its manufacture and use of such tablet in oral treatment of psychosis or anxiety disorders” It was issued to applicant Echo Pharmaceuticals B.V., of Weesp, Netherlands, and inventors Jan Albert De Vries, Maria Vanesa Fernandez Cid, Ana Maria Heredia Lopez, and Cristina Maria Elroa Martinez, all domiciles of the Netherlands. The specification discloses a composition and manufacture of the 60-1200 mg tablet, which includes a weighted composition of 50-95 wt. % of a granulate, 5-50 wt. % of lactose, and 0-30 wt. % of other excipients. The granulate is composed of 2-15 wt. % of CBD, 2-30 wt. % of sucrose fatty acid mono-ester, 30-96 wt. % of lactose, and the remainder other excipients. The claims are directed to the composition of the CBD-containing tablet, as well as methods of manufacture of the tablet. There are numerous specific embodiments also disclosed in the specification.
No drawings were submitted to illustrate the invention. The patent is also subject to a terminal disclaimer under 37 C.F.R. §1.321(d).
The International Patent Classification is A61K (preparations for medical, dental or toilet purposes (i.e., methods specially adapted for pharmaceutical products into particular physical form).
Echo is another cannabis-focused pharmaceutical company specializing in drug delivery therapeutics that include cannabinoid-based medicines. Cannabis pharmaceutical companies, or cannapharma, are a small but growing number of companies that focus on research and deliveries of cannabinoid medicines that include THC and CBD, among others. Big Pharma has not yet developed robust R&D into cannabis-based product lines, although there are some exceptions. AbbVie has a THC-based dronabinol drug to treat chemotherapy and AIDS-related nausea and weight loss, MARINOL®. For now, the patent landscape for drug manufacturers still favors the boutique cannapharma company. More cannabis technology is expected to begin the patenting process as various federal agencies become friendlier to adult-use cannabis, both in research and recreational use.
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