Since 2017, Mevatyl is the only product of Cannabis registered by Anvisa (Agency for Sanitary Surveillance) in Brazil, for the relief of cancer symptoms – pain and nausea – and the spasms caused by multiple sclerosis. Produced by British GW Pharmaceuticals, it was originally named Sativex, but changed its name here.
On Friday, 19, Digimed –a health agency, equivalent to Anvisa in Peru– registered the first similar formula in the world. It is Sativyl, by Farmacêutica Verdemed, with 27 mg/ml of THC (tetrahydrocannabidiol, psychoactive substance) and 25 mg/ml of CBD (cannabidiol). According to doctors, the almost equal proportion of the two cannabinoids is the difference in relieving severe pain. The glass is 10 ml and 250 mg in strength.
According to data from the IARC (International Agency for Research on Cancer), the number of cases was 19 million worldwide in 2020. Multiple sclerosis – an autoimmune, degenerative and progressive disease – affects 2.5 million people in Worldwide. In Brazil, the incidence is 15 people in every 40 thousand, according to the WHO (World Health Organization).
Both GW and Verdemed drugs are alternatives to opioids, a class of drug known for its efficiency in fighting pain. But they cause chemical dependency and can lead to the patient’s death.
In the long term, the patient with chronic pain usually needs increasing doses to alleviate the pain. In the US, the increase in consumption has become a Public Health issue. Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the American health agency, recorded a 28.5% increase in deaths from opioid abuse, from April 2020 to the same month this year – compared to the same period of the year previous.
The product is also a replacement for classic medicines against nausea and vomiting, symptoms caused by chemotherapy treatment. There is a portion of the population refractory to allopathic antiemetics, which overload the liver. Furthermore, Sativyl is an herbal medicine.
But the big advantage of Verdemed’s launch in Peru is the price. Sativyl will come out at half the cost of Mevatyl, which is sold at R$ 3,400 a box, with three bottles of 10 ml (spray), in Brazilian pharmacies. “Our box with three glasses should be between R$ 1,600 and R$ 1800. At the beginning of the year we will already have the product for sale in the Peruvian commerce”, guarantees José Bacellar, CEO of Verdemed.
When will the product come to Brazil? The company has already filed documentation for product analysis at Anvisa. While the registration request is being processed, the alternative for the patient would be to import Sativyl. However, the company does not yet know if and when this possibility will exist. Let’s wait for more news.
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