Brazilian Doctors Prescribing Hemp Cannabis Products to ALS and Psoriasis Patients
Brazilian doctors have begun prescribing HempMeds Brasil‘s hemp cannabis oil to ALS and psoriasis patients, the company’s U.S. parent reports.
San Diego-based Medical Marijuana said it is the first time Brazilian physicians have prescribed the product, known as Real Scientific Hemp Oil, to those with the two diseases.
HempMeds Brasil has been providing medical cannabis to patients for two years, with doctors prescribing it for other disorders.
Dr. Stuart Titus, CEO of Medical Marijuana.
“The Brazilian government has once again shown that the health and well-being of their people is something they are interested in sustaining by continuing to give them access to CBD [cannabis] hemp oil products for patients suffering from conditions with no known cure or limited treatment options,” Dr. Stuart Titus, chief executive officer of Medical Marijuana, said in a press release.
“ALS is a deliberating condition that to this day has no treatments available,” and psoriasis affects millions, said Titus, who has had a fellowship with the American Academy of Pain Management and an affiliation with the American Association of Integrative Medicine. “We are excited about the future for CBD-based products to enter clinical trials for these two conditions.”
Psoriasis is on the upswing worldwide, according to the World Health Organization’s Global Report on Psoriasis. Two to 3 percent of the global population have the autoimmune skin disorder, the report says. The U.S. estimate is 7 1/2 million, and Brazil is believed to have more than two million people with the disorder.
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, which is known as Lou Gehrig’s disease and ALS, is a neurodegenerative disorder that affects nerve cells in the spinal cord and brain. An estimated 450,000 people worldwide have it, including 30,000 in the United States. Scientists have yet to come up with a cure for ALS.
HempMeds Brasil imports three cannabis products into Brazil. The prescription medications treat a range of conditions, including epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, psoriasis, cancer, diabetes, ALS, multiple sclerosis, chronic pain, and migraines.
Brazil’s national healthcare system subsidizes the cost of the products. HempMeds Brasil is working with government officials to obtain authorization for its products to treat other conditions.
