US and Canadian plant breeders have long looked to GW Pharmaceuticals for ideas about which components of Cannabis are likely to confer medical benefit. An update to investors covering the company’s progress through September 30, 2019 mentions CBDV and tersely states: “IND open for 30-patient open label study in autism expected to commence Q4 19. Initial data in 2020. Investigator-led 100 patient placebo-controlled trial in autism underway.”
Regarding Epidiolex, their CBD medicine that is FDA-approved to treat Dravet and Lennox-Gastaut syndromes, the company reports: “Over 15,000 patients have received Epidiolex prescriptions since launch. Over 3,000 physicians have generated dispensed prescriptions since launch.
Strong payor coverage with approximately 93 percent of all Commercial, Medicaid and Medicare lives in the US having a coverage determination, of which 65 percent are PA to indication or less restrictive… Patent application recently published indicating that Epidiolex is more efficacious than synthetic CBD in pre-clinical epilepsy models based on the key difference that Epidiolex comprises up to 2 percent of other cannabinoids.”
GW stock lost about 25% of its value after the update was issued yesterday (11/5/19). Progress on the research side is insignificant to investors expecting heftier earnings.
