MGC Pharmaceuticals Ltd (LSE:MXC, OTC:MGCLF, FRA:H5O, ASX:MXC) has achieved a new landmark for the UK cannabis market as CannEpil+, a Cannabis based treatment for epilepsy, has been approved for import by the UK authorities.
An import permit was issued by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency and the award was enabled by MGC’s UK distribution and clinical access partner Elite Pharmaco.
It is the first time that an epilepsy treatment currently in a clinical trial process, and containing THC, has been approved by the authorities in the UK for import, MGC highlighted.
The company noted that the permit opens a new key strategic market for its leading phytocannabinoid derived medicine.
CannEpil+ will be made available for free on compassionate grounds to ten patients with refractory epilepsy for six months. The treatment will be monitored using a data collection app which will provide real time insights into the efficacy of CannEpil +.
Epilepsy is seen as one of the most common serious neurological conditions, affecting around 600,000 people in the UK (50mln worldwide) - and around 33% of adults, 20-25% of children, suffer from refractory epilepsy (otherwise known as drug resistant epilepsy) which cannot be controlled with traditional anti-seizure medication, MGC noted.