Sapphire launches the UK’s first Medical Cannabis Registry and offers the first 1,000 patients reduced costs to be involved
Sapphire Medical Clinics, the first medical cannabis clinic approved to see patients by the Care Quality Commission, has today launched a ground-breaking initiative to rapidly expand the evidence base for medical cannabis. The launch of the Curaleaf Access Scheme via the UK Medical Cannabis Registry will collect and analyse clinical information on patients taking medical cannabis treatments.
Sapphire patients will be offered reduced appointment costs in recognition of their contribution to the UK’s Medical Cannabis Registry and Real World Evidence data platform. This benefit is in addition to the reduced cost of telemedicine appointments Sapphire Medical Clinics announced in March. Patients are supported through the full process from eligibility through to appointment and when appropriate prescription, delivered straight to their front door.
Who is eligible?
Sapphire Medical Clinics provides an expert clinical opinion for any patient who has failed to achieve adequate benefit from first line therapies for any condition where there is clinical evidence for the use of medical cannabis. Those that receive the prescription can join the scheme and contribute to advancing the evidence for medical cannabis.
The UK Medical Cannabis Registry will be free to contribute to for any patient in the UK with a prescription who wants to progress the science of medical cannabis.
Dr Mikael Sodergren, Managing Director and Academic Lead at Sapphire Clinics, said ‘We are very proud to launch the Curaleaf Access Scheme which ultimately aims to provide the Real-World Evidence to allow patients to access cannabis-based medicines on the NHS for all the conditions in which there is proven clinical benefit.’
Patients on the Sapphire Access scheme will also receive greater insight into how their treatment is affecting them via the Real World Evidence Platform. A Sapphire patient, Laura Drummond, 40 years old from Hampshire, Fibromyalgia ‘I love the idea of contributing to the growing evidence which no doubt will help many others in the future. The reduced appointment costs via the Curaleaf Access Scheme means that money is less of a concern when addressing my healthcare needs’
Dr Michael Platt, Medical Director of Sapphire Clinics, added: ‘There are an estimated 1.4 million medical cannabis patients in the UK and with this initiative we hope to make it more affordable for them to access medication through a recognised clinic where we can carefully monitor their treatment.’
Centre for Medicinal Cannabis (CMC) welcomed this announcement. Dr Andy Yates, Pharmacy Lead at CMC commented ‘We are delighted to see initiatives such as this from the Sapphire Clinics be rolled out. The message from the UK and around the world is the same; HCPs, regulators, and patients want access to robust data on the use of cannabis medicines to provide the evidence to confidently use these medicines appropriately and safely. We encourage all patients and HCPs to contribute to this important database’.
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Source – ‘1.4 million people across the UK take medical cannabis’ https://www.thecmcuk.org/left-behind-the-scale-of-illegal-cannabis-use-for-medicinal-intent-in-the-uk
