U.S. Patent No. 10,034,907 (‘907) issued on July 31, 2018, for “Flavored and Edible Cannabinoid Composition and Method of Manufacturing.” It was issued to sole inventor and applicant Gerald Echavarry, of New Hyde Park, New York. The specification describes a new cannabinoid composition comprising cannabis resin, a solvent, and a flavoring agent. The claims are directed to the method of manufacturing this new composition, through heating the cannabis resin between 110° F. and 140° F., mixing the resin with the solvent, namely, propylene glycol, forming a solution, and mixing a flavoring agent into the solution. The possible flavoring agents are recited as a Markush group (MPEP 2173.05(h)), and can include Cinnamaldehyde, Isoamyl accetate, d-limonene, Methyl anthranilate, vanilla extract, chocolate extract, and Allyl hexanoate.
There was some recent criticism of the use of propylene glycol in vaping cartridges, which is also used in antifreeze and polyester resin manufacturing. It is also used as a solvent and emollient in foods, drugs, and cosmetics. Propylene oxide, the broader family of propylene glycol, has been found possibly carcinogenic to humans by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC); the evidence was inadequate to support a conclusive opinion in humans, but there was sufficient evidence to support carcinogenicity in animals. The degraded form of propylene glycol is a formaldehyde-releasing agent. Formaldehyde, used as a fungicide, germicide, and disinfectant, has been classified as a carcinogenic by the IARC, and was the subject of a critical study reported in the New England Journal of Medicine.
The International Patent Classification is A61K (preparations for medical, dental or toilet purposes), with subclass 36/00 (medicinal preparations of undetermined constitution containing material from algae, lichens, fungi, or plants, or derivatives thereof, e.g., traditional herbal medicines), 36/185 (Magnoliopsida (dicotyledons), 47/10 (alcohols, phenols, salts thereof, e.g., glycerol, polyethylene glycols (PEG), poloxamers, PEG/POE alkyl ethers), and 9/00 (medicinal preparations characterized by special physical form).
While interesting as a patent subject, the recitation of propylene glycol is controversial. It will be a curiosity as to how the applicant intends to market the product encompassing the patent. Please contact Yonaxis for more information on the patent process if you have any questions.