Mechoulam joins GW to advance CBD research

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CBD producer GW Pharmaceuticals plc said it has set up a research collaboration with renowned Prof. Raphael Mechoulam of Israel’s Hebrew University of Jerusalem to research the pharmacology of phytocannabinoids and the cannabinoid system in humans.

Under the agreement with Yissum, a university-owned research development company, GW has acquired the rights to a number of cannabinoid patents invented by Mechoulam.

CBD patents

“The company will be working closely with him and his team for the next three years to develop these new opportunities in furtherance of its scientific and commercial activities,” GW said in a recent release. The patents include those relating to CBD and endocannabinoids (cannabinoids found in the human body).

Mechoulam also will act as a consultant on GW’s research into synthetic cannabinoids, the company said, becoming a member of the Cannabinoid Research Institute (CRI), which the company launched last year.

Cannabis pioneer

Mechoulam, who coined the term “cannabinoid” in the 1960s, also first identified and synthesized delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main psychoactive component of cannabis. He is the author of more than 270 publications and an inventor on more than 21 patents, including several synthetic cannabinoids.

GW made cannabis history June 25, 2018 when it earned approval from the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) for its CBD product Epidiolex, which was crafted as a treatment for two forms of childhood epilepsy. It was the first cannabis-derived prescription drug to gain federal approval in the United States.

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