France: ANSM publishes list of pharmacists participating in medical cannabis trials

The Agence nationale de sécurité du médicament et des produits de santé (ANSM ) has published the list of pharmacists participating in the French medical cannabis trial. This list includes the first pharmacists to be involved, who have completed a compulsory training course entitling them to order and dispense medical cannabis. 

The ANSM also specifies that patients can ask their pharmacists to take part in this experiment (subject to validation of the necessary training). The list already includes a large number of pharmacists throughout France, and will be gradually updated: 

Find the link to the list here.

A look back at medical cannabis trials in France 

As a reminder, this experiment could lead to thedevelopment of a new public policy. It has been eagerly awaited, particularly in view of the converging scientific data showing the value of cannabis in certain treatments, the growing demand from patients and healthcare professionals, and theuse of medical cannabis already present in certain Europeancountries and around the world.

A multidisciplinary scientific committee was set up toexamine scientific knowledge and foreign experience. In 2018, the committee endorsed the initiative. In 2019, a new committee was formed to define the terms and conditions of the experiment. Finally, also in 2019 , theNational Assembly gave the go-ahead for this experiment as part of thereview of the draft Social Security budget for 2020. 

The implementation of this two-year experiment has been entrusted to theANSM. In June 2021, a new multidisciplinary scientific committee has been formed to support the ANSM in monitoring the trial.

The trial will be carried out on 3,000 patients, who will be treated and monitored for at least 6 months. If their treatment proves effective and well tolerated, it will be continued until the end of the trial. The trial will be open to patients with very specific clinical situations.

You will find below the 5 therapeutic indications selected by the scientific committee for experimenting with the use of medical cannabis: 

- neuropathic pain refractory to available therapies (drug or non-drug);

- certain forms of severe, drug-resistant epilepsy;

- certain intractable oncology symptoms related to cancer or its treatment;

- palliative situations ;

- painful spasticity due to multiple sclerosis or other central nervous system pathologies.

Patients can express their wish to participate to their doctor, or they can be offered the opportunity to do so. If a patient is being monitored by a facility that is not involved in the experiment, the treating physician may contact one of these facilities. It is important to note, however, that the final decision as to whether or not to include a patient in the trial rests exclusively with the doctor at the voluntary referral facility. During the 24 months of the trial, patients may be monitored by a general practitioner or specialist who has completed the compulsory training proposed by the ANSM.

During this experiment, patients will be able to consume medical cannabis in two ways: 

- Cannabis flower buds to vaporize for inhalation;

- orally administered oils.

Products with different THC and CBD ratios: THC dominant, balanced THC and CBD ratio, CBD dominant.

This experiment began in March 2021 and is scheduled to conclude in 2023.

In the six months preceding the end of the trial, Parliament will be asked to issue a report that will determine the future of medical cannabis in France.

=> A Parisian pharmacist taking part in the project gives an initial assessment after 7 months of experimentation. Watch the video here.