GB Sciences Granted US Patent for Cannabinoid-based Formulations for Parkinson’s

GB Sciences has been granted a patent from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) covering the use of its proprietary cannabinoid-containing complex mixtures for treating Parkinson’s disease, the company announced.

GB Sciences is creating a pipeline of new medicines based on cannabinoids, the pharmacologically active compounds that give the cannabis plant its medical and recreational properties.

The patent — number 10,653,640 and titled “Cannabinoid-Containing Complex Mixtures for the Treatment of Neurodegenerative Diseases” — will be issued on May 19 to GBS Global Biopharma, the Canadian arm of the company.

“Receiving our patent for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease symptomology using GBS’s CCCM [Cannabinoid-Containing Complex Mixtures] is an important milestone in the development of this urgently needed medicine,” Andrea Small-Howard, said in a press release. Small-Howard is chief science officer and director of both GB Sciences and GBS Global Biopharma.

“To our knowledge [this] is the first time that a U.S. patent has been awarded for a cannabis-based complex mixture defined using this type of drug discovery method,” Small-Howard said.

GB Sciences‘ cannabinoid-based formulations have shown promising results in a zebrafish model of Parkinson’s disease. The treatment significantly eased behavioral symptoms due to the loss of dopamine-producing nerve cells, a hallmark of Parkinson’s.

The promising results were the basis for the launch of a final preclinical study to investigate GB Sciences‘ cannabinoid-based formulations mechanisms of action in Parkinson’s disease. The study, also conducted using the zebrafish model, will be conducted by Lee Ellis, PhD, at The National Research Council (NRC) of Canada.

The results will support an investigational new drug application with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to test the cannabinoid-based formulations in a clinical trial.

“Our in vitro [in the lab] and animal data also show cannabinoid mixtures outperforming single component therapies for symptomatic relief or disease-modifying effects. Evidence-based, patent-protectable, complex formulas are where cannabinoid medicine is going fast and GBS is leading the way,” said Michael Farley, president of GBS Global Biopharma.

GBS’s drug discovery platform, in partnership with academic leading centers, already has identified key disease-targets from 480 potential active ingredients in different varieties of the cannabis plant.

The new patent is the fourth U.S. patent by GBS, adding to 18 international patent applications for its cannabinoid-containing complex mixtures for treating neurodegenerative and several other disorders.

“The U.S. patent validates our drug discovery platform and strengthens our intellectual property portfolio of unique CCCM’s, each targeting one of up to 60 specific clinical applications,” Small-Howard said.