Medical CannabisHistoryPrescribedResearch

About Medical Cannabis

Medicinal cannabis is a natural alternative.

Today, medical cannabis is used as a broad term covering everything from dried cannabis flowers and cannabis oil to capsules, tablets, oral sprays, and more. What these products have in common is that they contain either parts of the cannabis plant, active compounds from the plant, or synthetic cannabinoids, and they are used to relieve illness.

Balancial is entering the Danish market.

The Medical Cannabis Pilot Program

Since January 1, 2018, doctors in Denmark have been able to prescribe a new type of cannabis products under the medical cannabis pilot program.

This means that doctors can prescribe products that are neither approved medicines nor magistral preparations. The products included in the pilot program are referred to as medical cannabis and can come in various forms, such as dried cannabis flowers, cannabis oil, capsules, tablets, and more.







Produktion af cannabis

Standardized and Documented Production of Cannabis

Products under the medical cannabis pilot program must meet specific requirements regarding how the plant is cultivated and how the cannabis product is produced. Additionally, there is a requirement for standardization, meaning that manufacturers must document the contents of their products to ensure consistency in strength and quantity from one package to another.

Unlike approved medicines, the products in the pilot program have not been tested for effects and side effects through controlled trials. To assist doctors in evaluating prescriptions, the Danish Medicines Agency has developed a guideline based on general knowledge of the effects of THC and CBD, as there is limited data on the specific products included in the program.

During the trial period, the program will be evaluated to determine whether it should become permanent. Since January 1, 2018, doctors in Denmark have been able to prescribe a new category of cannabis products under the pilot program, allowing them to prescribe products that are neither approved medicines nor magistral preparations.

Doctors have several routes to prescribe cannabis-based products. But as a patient you can only access these products if your doctor has prescribed it to you.

1
Authorized medicine

At the moment (2022) there are two authorised cannabis-based medicines in Denmark: Sativex® and Epidyolex®. These two products have undergone clinical trials and are registered as pharmaceuticals just as any other prescription medicine.

2
Non-authorised medicine by issue of a compassionate use permit

If a doctor wants to prescribe a non-authorised medicine to specific patients, he or she can apply for a compassionate use permit from the Danish Medicines Agency even though the medicines in question are not approved in Denmark.

3
Magistral preperations of cannabis

Doctors can also prescribe magistral preparations of cannabis-based products. A magistral preparation is made by a pharmacy for a specific patient according to the doctor's instructions.

4
Medicinal cannabis pilot programme

The pilot programme means that the doctors are allowed to prescribe products that are neither authorised medicines nor magistral preparations of medicines. The products comprised by the pilot programme are called medicinal cannabis.

The endocannabinoid system was only recently discovered by modern medicine in the 1990’s.

Many things are still unknown about how system imbalance effects human well-being.

CB1

The CB1 receptors target things such as motor activity, thinking, motor co-ordina-
tion, appetite, short term memory, pain perception, immune cells.

CB2

CB2 receptors are much broader than CB1 and influence most of the body.

This includes among others the gut, kidneys, pancreas, adipose tissue, skeletal muscle, bone health, eyes, tumours, reproductive system, immune system, respiratory tract, skin health, CNS, cardiovascular system and liver.

The endocannabinoid system

Balancial is entering the Danish market.