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Australian Cannabis Firm Leaps Into U.K. Market

althea
Written by Peter McCusker

Australian listed cannabis company Althea has launched a medical educational platform for U.K. doctors.

Called Althea Concierge UK, it will be similar to the platform it operates in its home country, and aims to provide a clinical evidence base for healthcare professionals looking to prescribe medical cannabis. Althea hopes the platform will streamline the prescription process and facilitate patient referrals from primary care doctors to Althea UK specialist prescribers. The company says in a press release that Concierge has boosted medicinal cannabis patient numbers in Australia.

Drug Science Partners

As part of the group’s push into the U.K. – which legalized medical cannabis, last year, Althea has also announced a partnership with the country’s independent scientific committee on drugs, Drug Science.

Althea is also collaborating with Improving Outcomes in the Treatment of Opioid Dependence (IOTOD) to respond to an ‘educational gap in the U.K.’ about medical cannabis and expects to reach over 1,000 more prescribers in the coming months.

Working Closely With Doctors

althea
UK doctors are learning how to prescribe medical cannabis

“The launch of Althea Concierge UK and progression of our partnership with two leading UK scientific committees are key developments for our U.K. expansion,” says Althea CEO and managing director Josh Fegan. While Althea Concierge UK streamlines prescribing pathways for doctors, the partnerships with Drug Science and IOTOD are furthering our educational outreach efforts.

“Althea is a global medicinal cannabis company and our strategy reflects that. We look forward to continued growth and replicating our highly successful Australian-born strategy abroad, working closely with doctors to provide patients the opportunity to choose an Althea life.”

World Health Organization Review

Drug Science is a leading international voice on the scientific, ethical and political developments regarding medical cannabis. Its 2016 cannabis report prompted the first World Health Organization (WHO) cannabis review in over 80 years

Professor David Nutt, Founder of Drug Science said: “Since its inception Drug Science has championed a rational approach to medical cannabis and led the international effort to alter the WHO opposition to it. 

“At our conference in January it became clear that the current UK approach to developing cannabis medicines is not working as patients would like. A very clear agreement from that meeting was the importance of being able to provide evidence-based education for Doctors. We’re absolutely delighted to be able to do this to the highest quality, with MEDIC.”

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About the author

Peter McCusker

Peter McCusker is an experienced news and business editor, who believes it’s time to fully embrace the multiple, proven, medical benefits of the cannabis plant.