FDA OKs local drug maker’s synthetic pot

Costa Mesa-based Valeant Pharmaceuticals has received FDA approval to sell a synthetic marijuana used to treat nausea and vomiting in cancer patients.

The new drug comes in the form of a pill and will be used to curb side effects associated with chemotherapy.

The pill, called Cesamet, was developed by Eli Lilly & Co. in 1985 and currently is sold in Canada.

“It is definitely a better alternative than smoking marijuana because smoking is harmful,” said Dr. Robert Dillman, who oversees Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian’s Cancer Center.

Dillman said the news wasn’t a big breakthrough for the medical community because Belgian drug maker Solvay SA has had a similar product, Marinol, on the market for two decades.

He said the drug would be prescribed only to patients who request synthetic marijuana, but he said there were already stronger anti-nausea products on the market.

“For some people, marijuana is very pleasurable, and if they’re used to that benefit, it might be an effective treatment,” he said, adding that it was less likely that cancer patients who hadn’t used marijuana would be interested in the drug.

Company President Wes Wheeler said Cesamet is not prescribed in doses high enough to produce the mood-altering effects of smoking marijuana, although a higher dose could produce such effects.

“This is not for pot smokers,” Wheeler said. “This is a drug developed by a pharmaceutical company for cancer patients.”

Wheeler said the product has been successful north of the border since going on the market there in 2003.

“We started to market in Canada, and it enjoyed huge success,” he said. “It grew by a 100% each year.”

Wheeler estimated that synthetic marijuana is a $160-million market in the U.S., where about 500,000 people each year are treated with chemotherapy.

The FDA has classified Cesamet as a Schedule II drug, which means it has a high potential for abuse but a valid medical use. Morphine, cocaine and OxyContin are also Schedule II drugs.