One year of medical cannabis - demand is increasing

Prescriptions are increasing and patient care is improving

The first year of the "cannabis law", which came into force on 10 March 2017, is coming to an end. Doctors have been able to prescribe cannabis flowers as a prescription medicine for almost a year. According to the Federal Association of German Pharmacists Associations (ABDA), around 44,000 cannabis units were taken over by the statutory health insurances in 2017 - with a continuously rising trend.

"The trend has been increasing from quarter to quarter, both in prescriptions and in the dispensing units," Dr. Andreas Kiefer, President of the Federal Chamber of Pharmacists in a press release of the ABDA together. The German Drug Testing Institute (DAPI) has evaluated the health insurance data. Accordingly, there were 4615 recipes with 10,055 dispensing units in the second quarter of 2017, which increased to 12,717 prescriptions with 18,828 dispensers by the fourth quarter. Private recipes were not recorded here.

The first year of the new cannabis law is around. A first summary shows that medical cannabis is well accepted - not just by consumers. Numerous companies are sensing big business. (Image: EpicStockMedia / fotolia.com)

The supply is improving

"Especially for patients who have previously received cannabis through an exemption, has since much improved," said Kiefer. Patients would no longer be left alone with the dosage and application. The pharmacists defined uniform quality criteria for cannabis flowers in the German drug codex.

The prices for the patients are decreasing

According to Kiefer, cannabis has become much cheaper for many patients. If the health insurance company approves, only the co-payment, which is limited to a maximum of 10 euros per drug, only falls. Patients can now redeem their cannabis prescriptions nationwide in every pharmacy.

How many patients receive cannabis?

Before March 2017, medical cannabis was still a niche product. About 1000 patients had a dispensation. "For data protection reasons, the DAPI does not determine how many patients received cannabis flowers," explains Kiefer. On the basis of the present number of prescriptions, however, he suspects that there are now significantly more than the expected 1000 patients. Cannabis recipes were thus at least partially arrived in the daily routine.

Not only patients benefit

Professor Michael A. Popp, owner and CEO of Bionorica SE, welcomes the positive development of the drug dronabinol, better known as tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the active ingredient in the cannabinoid group found in hemp. According to Popp, 11,000 patients were treated with dronabinol in 2017. That's almost three times more people than in 2016. The worldwide sales figures for Dronabinol are developing accordingly. At around 13.6 million euros, sales in 2017 are more than double the previous year.

Approval rate is around 60 percent

"Thanks to the amendment to the law, we can help more critically ill people with dronabinol and improve the treatment situation," emphasizes Popp. According to Popp's forecasts, a further increase in 2018 is to be expected. According to media reports, the current approval rate on the part of the statutory health insurance companies is around 60 percent, "reports Popp. He hopes for a continued positive development in the approval situation. "This would significantly improve the quality of life of many dependent patients," says Popp.

Cannabis - a new billion dollar market?

So far, the cannabis needed has been imported from the Netherlands and Canada. The Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (BfArM) has now set up a cannabis agency to control and control the cultivation of cannabis for medical purposes in Germany. Many companies smell high margins because cannabis can be produced cheaply. Experience in cultivation, however, is a prerequisite for state cultivation, because the BfArM requires a certain quality standard, which it has defined in a monograph on cannabis flowers.

Cannabis cultivation in Germany

The first German cannabis harvest is scheduled to start in 2019. The grown cannabis may only be used for medical purposes. The German cultivation is to ensure the availability of cannabis for medical purposes in reproducible quality according to pharmaceutical legislation.

How expensive is medical cannabis

The cannabis agency of the BfArM will set a manufacturer's selling price. At this price, the cannabis is then sold to manufacturers of pharmaceuticals, wholesalers or pharmacies. The cannabis agency itself will not achieve any profits or surpluses, but only cover the incidental personnel and material costs. The cannabis agency is not responsible for the actual selling price in the pharmacy. (Vb)