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Meds Cannabis Inhaler Developed in Israel

momofthegoons

Vapor Accessory Addict
Staff member
As cool as I think this is, I also think it's a little 'brave new world.' I don't like the idea of someone telling me how much cannabis I need for my usage. And prescribing it to me in a concentrated form from a device which also communicates my usage to the provider.

I'm also a little surprised at how strict the Israeli government is about who can use cannabis considering how advanced their research on it is there. :nusenuse:

FIRST-EVER ISRAELI INHALER TRANSFORMING MARIJUANA INTO PRESCRIBED DOSES

BY MAX SCHINDLER OCTOBER 15, 2017

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CEO of Syqe Medical, Israel's leading medical marijuana firm, poses in his office alongside the company's 3D-printed inhaler.. (photo credit:COURTESY/SYQE MEDICAL)

Before Israel licensed medical marijuana, people with terminal illnesses would come desperately to a young, chin-bearded grower named Perry Davidson.


“Back then, I was picking up the cannabis in the garden, going on the bus, wrapping it up so it didn’t smell and physically giving it to the patient,” said Davidson, CEO of Syqe Medical, a drug delivery company. “I was a 26-yearold schmuck, and I was dealing with hundreds of cancer patients... How did we get to a situation where if I didn’t wake up in the morning, these cancer patients would or wouldn’t get their medication?” Today, giant pharmaceutical giants such as Teva Pharmaceuticals have partnered with Tel Aviv-based start-up Syqe Medical to market and distribute a new, 3D-printed, medical marijuana inhaler that allows doctors to prescribe the drug remotely and in controlled doses

The device – built on-site in a 3D-printer shown to The Jerusalem Post – is the only metereddose cannabis and plant-material medicinal inhaler in the world that Davidson and Syqe Medical chairman Eytan Hyam know of. It was approved by the Health Ministry more than two years ago for use in a pilot program at Rambam Hospital in Haifa, the first site where doctors prescribe the drug as “standard medical treatment.”

Israel has long taken medical marijuana seriously, ever since pioneering Prof. Raphael Mechoulam, who was then at Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot, became the first person to identity the plant’s main psychoactive compound, THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), in the 1960s. “The start-up nation vibe” has also helped Syqe Medical, its CEO said. The company has benefited from a half-million-dollar 3D printer it got for free as a beta product, along with $1 million of funding from the Israel Innovation Authority in its early stages.

“The R&D, localized support, it has very much to do with the innovative climate in Israel and the financial support of seed investors... Now, investors are knocking at our doors every day,” Davidson said.

Administering cannabis to patients has long frustrated doctors due to the lack of a precise dosage and because many users smoke the drug, inhaling carcinogens in the process. Syqe’s inhaler overcomes those health concerns.

After inhaling, it takes between three to five minutes for the concentrated cannabis to reach maximum blood levels, unlike modified marijuana liquid extractions or oils which require hours to take effect. And as a smart device, the inhaler transmits usage data immediately back to Syqe, allowing researchers to track usage and provide case studies to other jurisdictions that are on the fence about legalizing the drug.

The handheld device includes dozens of preloaded marijuana VaporChips – similar in shape and size to a computer chip – that are housed in a single cartridge. The inhaler includes thermal controllers and lung interfacing that can pause or increase airflow based on pace and speed. That allows the inhaled dose to meet a level of precision within one hundred micrograms – a medically acceptable threshold of accuracy.

“We are able to deliver a plant with the same rigor, safety and precision as a [traditional] pharmaceutical,” Davidson said. He pointed to a 2016 agreement with Teva Pharmaceuticals to distribute Syqe’s inhaler domestically.

The company plans to start a trial with the US Food and Drug Administration next year.

“We give them credit, for Teva, to have the chutzpah to sign up with us to prescribe cannabis in its natural form,” Davidson said. “The fact that we had to go through all the due diligence with the top management in Teva to have this marketed by a pharmaceutical company – if that doesn’t mean we’re a drug, I don’t know what is a drug.”

Even Philip Morris, the American tobacco giant, has invested $20m. in Syqe to look at how to reduce the harm from smoking its nicotine products. To date, Syqe has raised some $33m.

Of the estimated 30,000 Israelis who are prescribed medical marijuana, several hundred are using the Syqe device, all of them under the auspices of Rambam Hospital. The Knesset is currently considering legislation to allow medical marijuana to be exported, which could be a boon to the overall industry and to Syqe.

“There are people calling us once or twice a week, asking, ‘Is it in the market, is it in the market?’” Davidson said. The inhaler will be distributed sometime in 2018 for use outside the hospital environment.

Patients in Israel can get a prescription for medical marijuana if their condition did not improve after trying traditional drugs within the past year. Unlike California’s notoriously lax rules governing medical marijuana, where complaints of a backache can cajole a doctor into writing a prescription, Israel restricts the drug far more strictly.

Treatment with marijuana is available for, among others, patients with chronic neuropathic pain, those with a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis and individuals undergoing chemotherapy.

 
As a participant in the Israeli Medical cannabis project I would like to say that the program is not as limited as the end of the article would leave one to believe. When I go to the dispensary I amazed at how many people with no obvious disability or injury are participants.

The Ministry of Health is interested in allowing certain family doctors to prescribe MMJ. Someone under the care of an oncologist gets almost instant approval which can take non-cancer patients months.

Currently the starting dose is 20 grams per month and more is approved when the cannabis can be shown to be helping the patient. Personal growing is out, but the MOH has set a price of about $100 per month regardless of how many grams you get (max is 150 grams) per month.

As far as the measured dose I kind of like it. One of the biggest drawbacks to me as a patient is not being sure how much medicine I need to be not in pain but functional.

If I knew with certainty which dose produces which results my life would be improved.
 
As a participant in the Israeli Medical cannabis project I would like to say that the program is not as limited as the end of the article would leave one to believe
Thank you for weighing in on this! It's great to have the opinion of someone who has actually had the experience.

It's reassuring to know that the program is not as stringent as portrayed.
 
Ain't this something. Don't like Phillip Morris being involved as an investor, but we are not going to be able to keep big money out of the industry so that's that.

What do you all think about this development? Good or not?



Israeli developer of 3D printed marijuana inhaler targets US market

Syqe Medical, a drug delivery company based in Israel, is continuing to enjoy huge success with its 3D printed cannabis inhaler, designed to allow those with chronic pain to inhale a precise dosage. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration will trial the device next year.

syqe-medical-israeli-developer-3d-printed-marijuana-inhaler-targeting-us-market-1.jpg


It’s been over three years since we first reported on Syqe Medical and its 3D printed medical marijuana inhaler. Since then, the company has gone from strength to strength, receiving widespread acclaim for its medically precise product and even receiving investment from pharma giants like Teva Pharmaceuticals. (To date, Syqe Medical has raised around $33 million from various investors.)

Two years ago, the 3D printed inhaler was approved for use in a pilot program in Haifa, Israel. Soon, however, the amazing cannabis dosing device could reach the U.S., with the FDA planning to trial the inhaler some time next year.

And while Israel has propelled Syqe Medical to its current status, cracking the booming U.S. cannabis market could propel CEO Perry Davidson’s company toward stratospheric levels of success.

syqe-medical-israeli-developer-3d-printed-marijuana-inhaler-targeting-us-market-2.png


It's easy to see why the 3D printed cannabis inhaler has been so popular. While medical-grade marijuana is becoming more widely used around the world as a legitimate form of medication (for cancer patients and other sufferers of various illnesses), debate continues as to how patients should consume the substance.

Nobody in medicine advocates smoking, of course, but healthier options like vaporizers can be difficult to control. Cannabis is, after all, a natural plant, which makes it harder to put into consistent doses than say, a drug in pill form.

One solution is turning marijuana into a liquid form, which makes it easier to dose. This, however, has its own problems: the positive effects can take hours to kick in, which makes it less useful for patients who may be prone to sudden pangs of intense pain.

That’s why the Syqe Medical inhaler has been so well-received. Not only can it precisely control cannabis dosage (its precision is within the one-hundred-microgram range), it also takes patients just a few minutes to feel the effects.

syqe-medical-israeli-developer-3d-printed-marijuana-inhaler-targeting-us-market-3.png


It works by dispensing pre-loaded VaporChips, similar in shape and size to a computer chip, which contain precise dosages. The responsive inhaler uses thermal controllers and lung interfacing to see how the user is inhaling, and can increase or decrease airflow depending on the speed of inhalation.

This innovative approach means that patients taking too big or small a breath won’t accidentally inhale too much or too little marijuana.

All this and more convinced Teva to take on the Syqe Medical project, with the pharma giant now distributing the 3D printed device around Israel.

syqe-medical-israeli-developer-3d-printed-marijuana-inhaler-targeting-us-market-4.png


With the U.S. FDA trial set to begin in 2018, Syqe Medical will be hoping for similar success in America, where some form of medical marijuana is now legal across most states. Syqe’s investors are confident, with $20 million of that aforementioned $33 million coming from American tobacco giant Philip Morris, the New York company that produces Marlboro cigarettes.

At present, all Israeli users of the Syqe Medical inhaler (there are reportedly several hundred of them) are patients at the Rambam Hospital in Haifa. Next year, authorities will decide if the product is suitable for use outside of hospitals.

Earlier this year, Israeli PCB 3D printer pioneer Nano Dimension supplied one of its DragonFly 2020 3D printers to Syqe Medical.


http://420intel.com/articles/2017/1...il&utm_term=0_3210cbef52-44f1511b1e-278137401
 
And as a smart device, the inhaler transmits usage data immediately back to Syqe, allowing researchers to track usage and provide case studies to other jurisdictions that are on the fence about legalizing the drug.

Hi Mom - didn't know about the reporting back and that is certainly something privacy minded Americans will object to strenuously, I believe.

But I don't think the device limits your dose. The chips have a specific dose that each will deliver, but I believe you can run through as many chips as needed for your medication.

While many of us are savy MMJ users, just think about the people with no MJ background, maybe in hospice program with 6 months or less of life expected, and just want a good medicine, easily delivered, to ease their pain and nausea. They aren't interested in taking up MJ as a life style accoutrement and for many of these folks (as well as children patients) I think this device, or some other form or metered dosage, will be very desirable.

Thanks for merging the threads.
 
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When you say privacy minded Americans will object to the possibility that the machine can track your location... How many people do you know who have disconnected the GPS functions for their car, phone, tablet and all other electronic devices? These folks could never use Waze or any GPS based travel aid.

With all due deference, I would call such folks as either paranoid or "up to no good"

BTW, the title of the thread has Israel spelled incorrectly.
 
BTW, the title of the thread has Israel spelled incorrectly.
:doh: Fixed.

How many people do you know who have disconnected the GPS functions for their car, phone, tablet and all other electronic devices?
Good point. In this age of 'smart' everything, we are probably being overly cautious in our thinking about this.

I think it goes back to the general paranoia we have in this country (U.S.) of getting 'caught' with something illegal. Even though cannabis is now legal in individual states, we are still under Federal threat. it's the same reason I originally didn't want to get 'on the list' when I was thinking about getting legal. Fear of prosecution.
 
With all due deference, I would call such folks as either paranoid or "up to no good"

I completely disagree with this statement. This ain't your phone or your GPS or your Smart Refrigerator. This is MJ which is still a felony at the Federal level, will still get you denied a security clearance, will still get you fired from some companies, is still controversial within communities and even families, and may even undermine your 2nd amendment rights.....among a number of other considerations.

"paranoid or up to no good". Wow, with all due deference that's pretty judgemental and superficial.

And I'm not a person who worries about this kind of thing much, but there are others that do and I don't think that invalidating their motives is supported by the facts.

:wave:
 
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Peace everyone!

I'm not impressed enough with the unit to consider the trade-off in marketing and/or privacy data. They're not offering enough device improvement, feature additions, or novelty in return.

My personal data, according to Google and um...Wall Street...is extremely valuable, maybe the most valuable thing about me online.

You need to swing pretty big to get me to turn that over via any EULA, and they haven't swung that big imo.

It's not about me participating in sketchy behavior, it's about my personal medical information being that, between myself and whomever law and signed agreements I choose to share it with.

Yes someone, including the government, can hack it or eavesdrop.

That's on them, not me.

Willingly giving up that much personal and medical information is on me.

I say "I'd better gasp out loud at everything it does, then.", and well, like I said, I didn't do that with this product.

Good health to everyone!

:peace:
 
By the by, while not Fed legal, I wonder if in MMJ legal states if usage info that can be associated with individual ID data is covered under HIPAA and hence a no-no.
 

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