"80% of cannabis patients inhale the plant,"
Tel Aviv-based cannabis company Syqe Medical has unveiled its first cannabis inhaler.
The product is eight years in the making, as it went through strict clinical trials and regulatory approval processes, and raising $83 million to date.
The company will begin distributing its product in Israel before expanding to other countries, Syqe’s founder Perry Davidson said in a Wednesday interview with Calcalist. Davidson says that the company is working on gaining FDA approval for the unique device.
The metered-dose inhaler is roughly pocket-sized, and is designed for precise delivery of cannabis. The inhaler will be priced at NIS 1,950 (approximately $545), the company said in a statement.
Teva Pharmaceuticals, which signed a marketing and distribution agreement in Syqe in 2016, will be the exclusive marketer and distributor of the product in Israel.
Syqe will be responsible for the production of the inhaler and its accompanying disposable containers and Teva will distribute the inhalers to doctors, nurses, hospitals, clinics, and pharmacies.
“80% of cannabis patients inhale the plant,” Davidson said. “For too long, physicians who wish to treat these patients have been without the most basic clinical knowledge on dosing, efficacy and adverse events of cannabis. For 8 years Syqe has been developing proprietary technologies for the administration of raw plants, and through our clinical trials we were able to determine the recommended dosage of inhaled cannabis down to the microgram. This launch marks the beginning of a new chapter in pain treatment, one in which physicians can confidently prescribe precise dosages of cannabis, and patients can reap the rewards, effectively and responsibly.”
Source – Calcalist
Image – Syqe
