Singapore Uses Cannabis-derived Medication For First Time To Treat Drug-Resistant Epilepsy

The masses would be familiar with cannabis. If not, you wouldn’t have even clicked on this article. I see right through you!

The relationship between the typical Singaporean and cannabis is as such –

It’s 2008, you’re at the pizza place on Club Penguin’s Town Centre. You cross paths with a penguin that’s out of your league. I’m talking limited edition puffle. Heck, the kid looks like he owns a premium account!

What I’m trying to say here is that, it’s unattainable.

In a conservative society like ours, many would argue that cannabis is merely a recreational drug for the brainwashed youth. Not everybody would know of its medical benefits.

But on 1 December, The Straits Times reported the first legal case of cannabis-derived medication in Singapore. The medication was reportedly prescribed to a young girl who suffered from a drug-resistant form of epilepsy.

Girl Suffering From Refractory Epilepsy

According to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), the said patient suffered from refractory epilepsy. Her condition failed to improve despite receiving registered treatments and medications.

MHA explained, “given the patient’s condition, her doctor applied to Health Sciences Authority to bring in a cannabinoid pharmaceutical, considering that the treatment my address the unmet medical need.”

There was no specific mention of the girl’s current condition. MHA also did not go into detail about the prior treatments or medications that the girl had.

Medication Contains Non-Hallucinogenic Cannabidol Component

An associate professor and president of the Singapore Epilepsy Society, Derrick Chan, shared that the medication is likely to be Epidiolex.

Epidiolex is known to be the first and only pharmaceutical-grade cannaboid medication that has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration. Epidiolex contains only the non-hallucinogenic cannabinol component from cannabis.

However, Associate Professor Derrick Chan also said that the following is not the best out of the other existing epilepsy treatments in the market.

Cannabinoid Medication Not For Regular Prescription 

MHA was firm on saying that the medication was not available for any regular prescription.

It explained that the girl’s doctor had requested for the drug and had supported the request with data evidence-based clinical studies. The data had showed the benefits that the medication would bring to the patient.

The request was approved by the HSA, the MHA, The Central Narcotics Bureau, and the Health Ministry.

Growing Demand for Cannaboid Medication in Singapore

According to Professor Chan, many parents with children suffering from epilepsy have inquired about cannabinoid medication. This was after the trial phase of Epidiolex in the United States.

He added that some parents went to the extent of migrating overseas for forms of medical cannabis.

However, Epidiolex, like every other medication, did not guarantee a cure to  a patient’s condition. “It might not work for everyone,” said Professor Chan who is also the head of Paediatric Neurology at KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital.

Local Scientists Unlock Medical Uses of Cannaboids 

Over the years, local scientists from Singapore’s Synthetic Cannabinoid Biology Programme have discovered the various medical uses of cannabinoids.

Associate Professor Yew Wen Shan of the programme added that they aimed to produced therapeutic cannabinoids to be used as medication in the future.

The cultivation of cannabis plants remains illegal in Singapore. As such, the team, biologically engineers yeast to recreate cannabinoid compounds synthetically.

According to professor Yew, as of today, these researchers have already identified cannabinoids that might be useful as medication.

It is indeed an achievement. Hopefully, the discovery of various cannabinoid medications can lead to better solutions for patients who suffer from epilepsy and other incurable neurological conditions.