Reuters AlertNet - INTERVIEW-Dutch firm eyes cannabis pill in 5 years

Reuters - cannabis pill in 5 years

INTERVIEW-Dutch firm eyes cannabis pill in 5 years

23 Jan 2008 18:14:52 GMT

Source: Reuters

By Harro ten Wolde AMSTERDAM, Jan 23 (Reuters) - Drug company Echo Pharmaceuticals expects to sell the world's first cannabis pill within five years, targeting a 4 billion euros ($5.85 billion) global market, its chief executive said. The privately-held Dutch company faces competition from Canada's Cannasat which is also developing a pill. In 2005, Canada became the first country in the world to approve a cannabis-based spray produced by Britain's GW Pharmaceuticals Plc as a treatment for multiple sclerosis patients. U.S. regulators granted approval for a clinical trial for GW's under-the-tongue spray called Sativex, but the company said in July that European regulators had requested a further clinical study before approval. Echo said it will start clinical studies and trials of its pill, to be marketed as Namisol, in the first half of 2008. "The global cannabis-based drugs market could be worth 4 billion euros," Echo Pharmaceuticals Chief Executive Officer Geert Woerlee told Reuters in an interview on Wednesday. "As an early adopter we could get 20-30 percent market share."

-roughly a 6 billion dollar market for synthetic marijuana. if we legalized medical marijuana and taxed it along with the billions we spend on marijuana law enforcement the money can give us all free health care. once again we are screwed by big pharma and health care companies. this is only one of many plants corporations synthesize for profits thus screwing the people.-st0ckman