AXIMs Opioid Patent Filing Offers Prompt Solutions To National Crisis

AXIMs Opioid Patent Filing Offers Prompt Solutions To National Crisis

By Richard Cox

President Donald Trump recently joined the ranks of politicians shedding light on the growing opioid crisis, calling the epidemic a national emergency and pledging to devote more government funding to stop its spread. But many critics have argued that he is late to the game, and that the stated views of his administration fail to address the issue in ways that can actually benefit patients in the near-term. Recent reports from CDC suggest that deaths from drug overdoses soared in 2016 , which, if accurate, would indicate that heightened public health programs have done little to stem fatalities across the nation.

The CDC report suggests that most of the overdose fatalities last year were caused by opioids. But what is most troubling is that evidence cited by researchers at the American Journal of Preventative Medicine highlights the possibility that government reports on the topic have inaccurately estimated the statistics to the downside. This is largely because of the poor reporting standards that are required for death certificates, and it means that the nations opioid crisis could be far worse than we think.

Timely Innovations

As is often the case, the private sector may be able to succeed where the government has failed. Recent patent filings from AXIM Biotechnologies focus on one way to help those in need and suffering from this disease now -- using cannabinoids to aid in the treatment of opioid addiction. Their research shows that cannabinoids are good candidates to not only treat pain, but to reduce drug cravings and opioid withdrawal symptoms . This ultimately suggests that cannabis could be an effective treatment for opioid addiction, and that it should be given greater consideration by the Attorney General Jeff Sessions in the modernization of the governments drug scheduling policies.

AXIM has nine cannabis-based products in development, including chewing gums, suppositories, ophthalmic formulations, and skin creams. These treatments target conditions including smoking, glaucoma, dry eye, psoriasis, eczema, vitiligo, restless legs syndrome, loss of appetite, chemotherapy-induced vomiting, and postherpetic neuralgia. One of the companys flagship products is MedChew Rx, which is in preclinical trials for pain and spasticity associated with multiple sclerosis. A trial of CanChew, meanwhile, was just completed in people with irritable bowel syndrome.

AXIM CEO George Anastassov is a surgeon and assistant clinical professor at Mount Sinai School of Medicine that has developed ways to use cannabis as a novel analgesic in the treatment of chronic pain. We could see the opioid epidemic evolving, he explains, and being surgeons, we knew there was a critical need for new, powerful pain relievers that could be used on a long-term basis without the side effects that opioids have.

The emerging biotech company has made progress in these areas despite the massive legal and regulatory hurdles that have long hamstrung developers of cannabis-based products. The U.S. federal government still lists cannabis as a Schedule 1 drug -- a classification which signifies the highest risk levels for abuse and requires the strictest regulatory policies available. This can make it incredibly difficult for biotech companies to conduct the needed research on cannabis, as it can take years to obtain approvals and the simple transport of plant extracts across state lines can create a logistical nightmare that few firms are willing to undertake.

Need for Regulatory Reforms

In recent interviews, AXIM has outlined the reasons regulatory reforms are needed at the Department of Justice so that cannabinoids can emerge as a medical alternative to opioids. Jeff Sessions is a politician, Anastassov said of the former Alabama senator. Sessions is not a physician or a pharmacy or a psychologist, so I think the efficacy of cannabinoid treatments will be supported by clinical data. There is quite a lot of data available already, and the decision to ease regulations should not be based on political views.

Anastassov said he believes cannabinoids will emerge as a mainstream pain-relief alternative to opioids in the next three to five years. From a clinical standpoint, he argued that there is no definitive linkage between marijuana and opioid use, as the two substances impact two different receptors in the brain. He went on to say that any suggestion that the use of medical cannabis leads to opioid abuse is an outlandish statement.

By all accounts, the public is increasingly accepting marijuana as a recreational drug -- and many of the medical conditions for which it is used are otherwise untreatable with the conventional approach. The alarming trends in opioid addiction that have been seen across the country have reached crisis levels, and it is clear that our current methods of treatment are failing. Market contributions like those from AXIM show a real attempt to solve these problems through science and innovation, not politics -- and it is time Washington paid attention.