Dronabinol ((-)-trans-delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol), is the registered API name for THC naturally present in botanical cannabis (Cannabis sativa L.). The pharmacological actions of dronabinol are modulated by other cannabinoids found in the cannabis plant. Dronabinol preparations can be injected intravenously, topically, or by transdermal delivery methods and taken orally (oral, sublingual, or buccal).
The molecule of dronabinol is either synthesised or naturally extracted, isolated, and prepared to a standardized API in accordance with the monograph. Pharmaceutical medicines like Marinol are then created using this standardised API.
An API – Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient. It is the part of the medication that produces the intended health effects. APIs are produced from raw materials (medical cannabis flowers), with a specified strength (DAC Dronabinol, NLT 95% D9-THC w/w) and chemical concentration (NMT 1.0% CBN, NMT 2.0% D8-THC, Sum Other NMT 3.0%).
Medicines consist of two core components, the API (Dronabinol) and the excipient (MCT Oil, AP). Medicines are produced/formulated with a clinically tested dosage format, for example diluting 2.5% etc. of the API into the carrier oil to represent a dosage per capsule or per ml to deliver 2.5mg of THC based on the therapeutic indication.
As more clinical pharmaceuticals are registered and produced using cannabis derived API’s as, cannabinoid-based medications are proving to be effective against chronic illness. For several decades, pharmaceutical cannabis has been employed in FDA-approved medications that contain synthetic isomers of THC. Cannabis sativa L.-derived cannabinoid compounds used in medical cannabis also show promise in treating several chronic illnesses.
Phytocannabinoids, or naturally occurring cannabinoids, are terpene phenolic chemicals that are generated only by the wildly diverse plant Cannabis sativa L. Since it was discovered that Delta(9)-THC is primarily responsible for the psychoactive effects of cannabis, natural and synthetic cannabinoids have undergone substantial research. In various biological systems, such as the cardiovascular, immunological, and endocrine systems, cannabinoids have pharmacological effects. The majority of these effects have been linked to these substances’ capacity to interact with the CB1 and CB2 cannabinoid receptors. Research interest in these substances has increased as a result of the FDA’s approval of Marinol, a product containing synthetic Delta(9)-THC (dronabinol), in 1985 for the treatment of nausea and vomiting in cancer patients receiving chemotherapy and in 1992 for the treatment of AIDS related wasting where it significantly improves appetite and helps treat weight loss.
An Assistant For Many Health Issues
It can be used to treat a variety of difficult-to-cure disorders. It serves as temporary relief medication for nausea and vomiting. It can be utilised to treat and alleviate chronic pain and has been found to be an effective treatment in neuropathic pain patients.. You might also include post-traumatic stress disorder on the list. In the EU where Dronabinol is used as an API in magistral preparations, the drug is favoured by prescribers, even for offlabel indications based on the greater body of research surrounding it and it’s establishment in the medical sector over decades.
References
[1] Naturally occurring and related synthetic cannabinoids and their potential therapeutic applications
[2] Dronabinol Market Size, Share, Growth, and Industry Analysis
[3] South African Health Products Regulatory Authority
[4] Health professional beliefs, knowledge, and concerns surrounding medicinal cannabis
