- Edible
cannabis products are absorbed slowly
- Consumers
of cannabis edibles often mistake the delayed effect for insufficiency,
leading to overdosing
- DehydraTECH
drug-delivery platform speeds up absorption, reducing overdose risk
Sometimes what is gained on the roundabouts is lost on the
swings, to paraphrase an old saying. Cannabis liberalization has introduced an
entirely new sector to the food and beverage industry – namely, cannabis
edibles such as cookies, chocolates and candies. It’s a sector that appears
poised for growth. But as mass consumption increases, a hidden problem is
emerging (http://ibn.fm/E1DSr).
Because bioabsorption rates via edibles are slower than those via smoking, oral
ingestion is leading to unexpected challenges. Consumers mistake the slow onset
of effect of traditional cannabis edibles for not enough cannabinoid, so they
increase consumption which can lead to overdosing. However, a biotech solution
from Lexaria Bioscience Corp. (CSE: LXX) (OTCQX: LXRP) appears
to solve this problem. The company’s DehydraTECH(TM) drug-delivery platform
greatly increases the rate at which drugs like cannabis are absorbed by the
body. The technology could be used to avoid overdoses before they ever begin.
Consumers have certainly developed a taste for cannabis. A
recent report projects the global cannabis-edibles market will reach over $11.6
billion by 2025, climbing at a CAGR of 25 percent, from $2.4 billion in 2018 (http://ibn.fm/Yc1rF). One reason
for this rapid mass adoption is the promise that oral ingestion is safer. The
reality is more complicated.
A March 2019 report in the ‘Annals of Internal
Medicine’ (http://ibn.fm/W1uTf)
states that edibles are being associated with “medical complications that we
never knew were associated with marijuana.” Patients “who ingested
the drug were more likely to suffer more severe effects, including psychiatric
symptoms and heart problems,” with “18 percent of edible users suffering
symptoms such as anxiety and psychosis compared with about 11 percent of
cannabis smokers.”
There are three reasons why edible cannabis is very
different than smoked. One is, as noted above, that edible delivery of drugs is
always slower than pulmonary delivery. A second difference is that smoking has
been associated with lung cancers and emphysema, whereas edibles have not. And
the third difference is that traditional edibles – prior to Lexaria’s technology
becoming available – deliver cannabinoids across the intestinal wall and into
the liver, where it is transformed into a very different metabolite of the
traditional Delta-9 that smokers are more familiar with.
The human liver metabolizes the Delta-9 and changes it to
Delta-11-Hydroxy (11-OH-THC) which produces different, stronger psychoactive
effects for most users. And the metabolization process takes time – usually 1
to 2 hours – which explains the long delays associated with old fashioned
edibles.
Lexaria’s technology ingeniously bypasses first-pass liver
metabolism, delivering more of the THC in the Delta-9 variant, the same as
smoking. This is how Lexaria manages to deliver the drug more quickly and in a
form more familiar to cannabis smokers.
Earlier this year, Lexaria commenced a series of animal
studies that, among other things, sought to improve understanding of how edible
forms of cannabinoids enter the bloodstream. The company compared its standard
DehydraTECH formulation, which combines cannabinoids with long-chain fatty
acids (LCFA) using its patented, dehydration-processing technique, to a
concentration-matched formulation utilizing coconut oil, a medium-chain
triglyceride (MCT) oil commonly used in the cannabis edibles industry. Test
results showed the following (http://ibn.fm/xQYq2):
- The
DehydraTECH formulation delivered measurable quantities of cannabidiol
(CBD) into the blood in as little as 2 minutes.
- Lexaria’s
technology delivered more CBD to the bloodstream in 15 minutes than
conventional MCT oil-based control formulations achieved in 60 minutes.
- Lexaria’s
DehydraTECH formulation delivers cannabinoids at industry-leading volumes
and speed while effectively masking bitter flavor and aroma profiles.
Lexaria’s patented DehydraTECH LCFA formulation offers a
more effective delivery mechanism than MCT oils, which are widely used by many
firms making and selling cannabis edibles throughout North
America. Although the studies tested only for CBD delivery, the company
has every reason to believe that virtually identical results would have been
achieved if THC had been the cannabinoid under examination.
Application of the technology extends beyond nicotine to
non-psychoactive cannabinoids, vitamins and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory
drugs (NSAIDs), as well as nicotine. Lexaria licenses the technology to leading
cannabis edibles companies across North America.
For more information, visit the company’s website at www.LexariaBioscience.com
NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates
relating to LXRP are available in the company’s newsroom at http://ibn.fm/LXRP
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