Jammu, Nov 9 (PTI) Union minister Jitendra Singh on Monday announced that pre-clinical trials of cannabis-based drug candidates will be undertaken in collaboration with Tata Memorial Centre, Mumbai, to develop export-quality painkillers from the plant.
Highlighting the potential of cannabis beyond its association with drug addiction, the minister of state in the Prime Minister’s Office said the initiative aims to harness its medicinal properties to develop effective pain-relief solutions.
Reviewing progress of India’s first-of-its-kind Cannabis Medicinal Research Project at CSIR-Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine (IIIM), here, the minister said the project is now moving towards pre-clinical trials, for which engagement has been established with Tata Memorial Centre, one of the leading institutions in cancer treatment and research.
He said that following successful completion of the pre-clinical studies and requisite regulatory processes, the project would move towards drug production.
“It is expected to pave the way for the development of export-quality medicines for neuropathies, cancer, epilepsy and Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS),” Singh said.
He said the project has been undertaken through a public-private partnership (PPP) model, with the participation of a French company, and is aimed exclusively at exploring the medicinal and life-science applications of cannabis.
Highlighting the therapeutic potential of cannabis, particularly its use in pain management, the minister said appropriate regulatory provisions have been put in place to ensure its cultivation and utilisation strictly for scientific research and medical purposes.
The permission for cannabis cultivation in Jammu and Kashmir had been secured after sustained efforts, marking an important step towards advancing scientific research in this emerging field, he said.
It brings together the Centre, the J&K government and private-sector partners in a coordinated effort to harness scientific innovation for societal benefit, he said.
Singh said the initiative holds considerable potential to deliver both economic and medicinal dividends.
Earlier, presenting an overview of the project’s progress, Dr Zabeer Ahmed, Director, CSIR-IIIM and CSIR-NBRI, Lucknow, briefed the minister on the scientific work undertaken by the institute and the progress made in identifying potential cannabis-based drug candidates.
He informed that the institute had submitted an application to the J&K Excise Department seeking permission for GMP-compliant manufacturing and transportation of cannabis material exclusively for scientific purposes.
The permission is required to manufacture research material for mandatory pre-clinical regulatory studies and to advance promising drug candidates towards clinical evaluation, he added.
The Cannabis Research Project, which received permission from the J&K government in 2017 for scientific cultivation and research, is among the pioneering initiatives in the country to examine the medicinal properties of cannabis.
CSIR-IIIM has established protected cultivation facilities and developed a repository of more than 500 cannabis accessions to support research and identify varieties with potential therapeutic applications. PTI TAS TAS AMJ
AMJ
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