Ron Strider
Well-Known Member
Before Israel licensed medical marijuana, people with terminal illnesses would come desperate to a chin-bearded young grower, Perry Davidson.
"Back then, I was picking up the cannabis in the garden, going on the bus, wrapping it up so it didn't smell, and physically giving it to the patient," said Davidson, current CEO of Syqe Medical, a drug delivery company. "I was a 26-year-old schmuck and I was dealing with hundreds of cancer patients...How did we get to a situation where if I didn't wake up in the morning, these cancer patients would or wouldn't get their medication?"
Today, giant pharmaceutical giants such as Teva Pharmaceuticals have partnered up with Tel Aviv-based start-up Syqe Medical to market and distribute a new 3D-printed, medicinal marijuana inhaler, which will allow doctors to prescribe the drug remotely and in controlled doses.
Built onsite in a 3D-printer shown to The Jerusalem Post, the device is the only metered-dose cannabis and plant-material medicinal inhaler that Davidson and Syqe Medical chairman Eytan Hyam know of worldwide. It was approved by the Ministry of Health more than two years ago for pilot usage at Rambam Hospital in Haifa, the first site worldwide where doctors prescribe the drug as "standard medical treatment."
Israel has long taken medical marijuana seriously, ever since pioneering Weizmann Institute of Science Professor Raphael Mechoulam was the first person in the world to identity the plant's main psychoactive compound, THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), in the 1960s. "The start-up nation vibe" has also helped the company, its CEO says, as it has benefitted from a half-million-dollar 3D printer that the company got for free as a beta product, along with a million dollars of funding from Israel's Chief Scientist in its early stages.
"The R&D, localized support; It has very much to do with the innovative climate in Israel and the financial support of seed investors... Now, investors are knocking at our doors everyday," said Davidson.
Administering cannabis to patients has long frustrated doctors due to the lack of a precise dosage and because many users smoke the drug, inhaling carcinogens from a joint/bong or ingesting unhealthy substances that might be burning in a vaporizer. Syqe's inhaler overcomes those health concerns, and its marijuana chip has undergone no chemical alterations.
After inhaling, it takes between three to five minutes for the concentrated cannabis to reach maximum blood levels, unlike modified marijuana liquid extractions or oils which require hours to take effect. And as a smart device, it transmits usage data immediately back to Syqe, allowing researchers to track usage and provide a case study to other jurisdictions on the fence about legalizing the drug.
The handheld device includes dozens of preloaded marijuana VaporChips – similar in shape and size to a computer chip – that are housed in a single cartridge. The inhaler includes thermal controllers and lung interfacing, able to pause or increase airflow based on pace and speed. That allows the inhaled dose to meet a precision level of up to a hundred micrograms – a medically-acceptable threshold of accuracy.
"We are able to deliver a plant with the same rigor, safety and precision as a [traditional] pharmaceutical," Davidson said, pointing to how Teva Pharmaceuticals agreed in 2016 to distribute Syne's inhaler domestically. If successful, the partnership can be replicated worldwide, and the company plans to start an U.S. Food and Drug Administration trial next year.
"We give them credit, for Teva, to have the chutzpah [nerve] to sign up with us to prescribe cannabis in its natural form. The fact that we had to go through all the due diligence with the top management in Teva to have this marketed by a pharmaceutical company; if that doesn't mean we're a drug, I don't know what is a drug," Davidson added.
Even Philip Morris, the American tobacco giant, has invested $20 million in Syqe to look at how to reduce the harm in smoking its nicotine products. In total, Syqe has raised some $33 million to date.
Of the estimated 30,000 Israelis who are prescribed medical marijuana, several hundred are using the Syqe device, all of them under the auspices of Rambam Hospital. The Knesset is currently considering legislation to allow medical marijuana to be exported, which could be a boon to the overall industry and to Syqe.
"There are people calling us once or twice a week, asking, 'Is it in the market, is it in the market?'" said Davidson. The inhaler will be distributed sometime in 2018 for use outside the hospital environment.
Patients can be prescribed medicinal marijuana in Israel if they've tried traditional drugs in the past year and that hasn't improved their condition. Unlike California's notoriously lax rules governing medical marijuana – where complaining of a back ache can cajole a doctor to write a prescription – Israel restricts the drug far more closely. Those eligible include patients suffering from chronic neuropathic pain, undergoing chemotherapy, or diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.
News Moderator: Ron Strider 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: 3D-printed Israeli inhaler transforming how medical marijuana is prescribed - HEALTH & SCIENCE - Jerusalem Post
Author: Max Schindler
Contact: The Jerusalem Post - About Us
Photo Credit: SYQE MEDICAL
Website: Jpost.com - The Jerusalem Post online edition
"Back then, I was picking up the cannabis in the garden, going on the bus, wrapping it up so it didn't smell, and physically giving it to the patient," said Davidson, current CEO of Syqe Medical, a drug delivery company. "I was a 26-year-old schmuck and I was dealing with hundreds of cancer patients...How did we get to a situation where if I didn't wake up in the morning, these cancer patients would or wouldn't get their medication?"
Today, giant pharmaceutical giants such as Teva Pharmaceuticals have partnered up with Tel Aviv-based start-up Syqe Medical to market and distribute a new 3D-printed, medicinal marijuana inhaler, which will allow doctors to prescribe the drug remotely and in controlled doses.
Built onsite in a 3D-printer shown to The Jerusalem Post, the device is the only metered-dose cannabis and plant-material medicinal inhaler that Davidson and Syqe Medical chairman Eytan Hyam know of worldwide. It was approved by the Ministry of Health more than two years ago for pilot usage at Rambam Hospital in Haifa, the first site worldwide where doctors prescribe the drug as "standard medical treatment."
Israel has long taken medical marijuana seriously, ever since pioneering Weizmann Institute of Science Professor Raphael Mechoulam was the first person in the world to identity the plant's main psychoactive compound, THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), in the 1960s. "The start-up nation vibe" has also helped the company, its CEO says, as it has benefitted from a half-million-dollar 3D printer that the company got for free as a beta product, along with a million dollars of funding from Israel's Chief Scientist in its early stages.
"The R&D, localized support; It has very much to do with the innovative climate in Israel and the financial support of seed investors... Now, investors are knocking at our doors everyday," said Davidson.
Administering cannabis to patients has long frustrated doctors due to the lack of a precise dosage and because many users smoke the drug, inhaling carcinogens from a joint/bong or ingesting unhealthy substances that might be burning in a vaporizer. Syqe's inhaler overcomes those health concerns, and its marijuana chip has undergone no chemical alterations.
After inhaling, it takes between three to five minutes for the concentrated cannabis to reach maximum blood levels, unlike modified marijuana liquid extractions or oils which require hours to take effect. And as a smart device, it transmits usage data immediately back to Syqe, allowing researchers to track usage and provide a case study to other jurisdictions on the fence about legalizing the drug.
The handheld device includes dozens of preloaded marijuana VaporChips – similar in shape and size to a computer chip – that are housed in a single cartridge. The inhaler includes thermal controllers and lung interfacing, able to pause or increase airflow based on pace and speed. That allows the inhaled dose to meet a precision level of up to a hundred micrograms – a medically-acceptable threshold of accuracy.
"We are able to deliver a plant with the same rigor, safety and precision as a [traditional] pharmaceutical," Davidson said, pointing to how Teva Pharmaceuticals agreed in 2016 to distribute Syne's inhaler domestically. If successful, the partnership can be replicated worldwide, and the company plans to start an U.S. Food and Drug Administration trial next year.
"We give them credit, for Teva, to have the chutzpah [nerve] to sign up with us to prescribe cannabis in its natural form. The fact that we had to go through all the due diligence with the top management in Teva to have this marketed by a pharmaceutical company; if that doesn't mean we're a drug, I don't know what is a drug," Davidson added.
Even Philip Morris, the American tobacco giant, has invested $20 million in Syqe to look at how to reduce the harm in smoking its nicotine products. In total, Syqe has raised some $33 million to date.
Of the estimated 30,000 Israelis who are prescribed medical marijuana, several hundred are using the Syqe device, all of them under the auspices of Rambam Hospital. The Knesset is currently considering legislation to allow medical marijuana to be exported, which could be a boon to the overall industry and to Syqe.
"There are people calling us once or twice a week, asking, 'Is it in the market, is it in the market?'" said Davidson. The inhaler will be distributed sometime in 2018 for use outside the hospital environment.
Patients can be prescribed medicinal marijuana in Israel if they've tried traditional drugs in the past year and that hasn't improved their condition. Unlike California's notoriously lax rules governing medical marijuana – where complaining of a back ache can cajole a doctor to write a prescription – Israel restricts the drug far more closely. Those eligible include patients suffering from chronic neuropathic pain, undergoing chemotherapy, or diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.
News Moderator: Ron Strider 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: 3D-printed Israeli inhaler transforming how medical marijuana is prescribed - HEALTH & SCIENCE - Jerusalem Post
Author: Max Schindler
Contact: The Jerusalem Post - About Us
Photo Credit: SYQE MEDICAL
Website: Jpost.com - The Jerusalem Post online edition
