PureForm - The CBD Promise in Pharmaceuticals
The general public is enthusiastic about CBD (‘Cannibidiol’) as a health-enhancer. It exists in topical remedies, food supplements, cosmetics, and vaping pods. Social media posts frequently list pain, anxiety disorders, sleep disorders, and stress as conditions possibly treatable with CBD.
Pharmaceutical study is underway across a range of possible therapeutic areas. The FDA has approved one CBD drug already, Epidiolex®, for seizures associated with Dravet Syndrome, Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome, and tuberous sclerosis complex. More drugs are in the development pipeline.
This is timely. Unapproved over-the-counter products can be of unknown composition, and their effectiveness in particular conditions isn’t always clear, whatever popular culture may believe. Because CBD does have undeniable pharmacodynamic effects, people are self-treating with capsules, oils, creams, and e-liquids for numerous medical and psychiatric conditions. As yet untested, and unregulated, these products may or may not be effective, may actually contain no CBD, may contain THC, the inebriating ingredient in cannabis, or may even contain chemicals that are hazardous.
Data shows that pure, pharmaceutical-grade CBD is safe, with limited side effects, though this does yet need to be generalized across the whole population, especially for children and the elderly, and across the different kinds of formulation. Six studies have been done on this to date, and none have raised danger signals. Nor is CBD habit-forming. Participants in two safety studies have reported that it felt good to be on CBD, but this was likely because of THC contaminants. (CBD, as used to be feared, does not transform into THC in the body.)
Drug development will be complicated, because the two cannabinoid neural receptors are located all throughout the body, from central nervous system to immune cells, and exactly what CBD does at those sites still needs to be understood. It’s becoming clear, for example, that diet can influence the molecule’s bioavailability, and there are reports of at least some drug-drug interactions. The reasons for this are not completely known yet.
The therapeutic promise of CBD
In a nutshell, here is where CBD seems especially appropriate for pharmaceutical development:
Compelling evidence exists that CBD helps treat epilepsy and other forms of seizure.
For pain, studies are beginning to show relief in multiple sclerosis, fibromyalgia, Crohn’s disease, and generalised neuropathic discomfort. CBD may make a very good topical analgesic.
In autoimmune disorders as well, possible clinical applications are beginning to emerge, notably in gastrointestinal inflammation, ulcerative colitis, ocular hypertension and glaucoma, graft-versus-host disease, and diabetes.
An area of particular promise is psychiatric disorders and therapy for substance abuse. CBD is under heavy investigation as an anxiolytic, and quite possibly a prophylaxis against PTSD. Studies are also gaining traction in schizophrenia and other psychotic disturbances. CBD may also reduce THC intoxication, even though in nature it co-exists in the same plant. CBD may thus be a viable treatment option for substance use disorders, and this too is under systematic study. The targets here are tobacco, alcohol, opioids (the body’s own endo-cannabinoid system talks with its endo-opioid system, after all), and fentanyl.
PureForm CBD™ is bioidentical to CBD extracted from hemp and cannabis but without residual cannabinoids like THC or any of the impurities or chemicals associated with plant-derived production processes. Our molecular assembly technique, that synthesizes CBD from aromatic terpenes instead of cannabis, assures you the food and pharmaceutical-grade quality that you need for quality-conscious customers. If you are interested in PureForm CBD™ or want to partner on any other of the 140+ known cannabinoids, please contact Damian Peters at 310-666-4869, or email info@pureformglobal.com.
The foregoing is a report on trends and developments in the cannabinoid industry. No product described herein is intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease or syndrome.
The pharmaceutical promise
Overall, it’s a very exciting time in CBD development. Investors are certainly interested. Estimated sales of CBD products were between 600 million and 2 billion USD in 2018, and investment companies predict sales will reach 16 billion USD by 2025. Synthetic manufacture of the molecule, which is what we do at PureForm, offers researchers, developers, and manufacturers the advantages of purity and chemical stability, with no contaminants or mutations from plant extracts. Things are moving fast now. For a lot of good reasons, the field is wide and flat for pharmaceutical drug development!