Vaping cannabis extracts and smoking plant components have long been suspected as less than adequate ways to consume phytocannabinoids for therapeutic benefit. But only recently the wider medical community registered a true medical crisis related to extensive use of the tobacco e-cigarettes that is quickly becoming an issue for the cannabis industry and concerned end-users. Thus an optimized drug delivery and formulation of active components remain, as ever before, one of the central problems in maximizing the possible medical value of phytocannabinoids and reducing health risks. Lipophilic oral or intra-oral formulations of purified phytocannabinoids are adopted in several FDA-approved products in the market place. Though in every instance, variable hepatic metabolism and low bioavailability present formidable barriers to overcome for increased and controlled exposure along with reduced adverse effects. Bridging these data with possibly enhanced “entourage” effects of natural isolates (complemented by minor cannabinoids, terpenes, etc.) is an area of very active explorations. There is also considerable interest in the application of different doses of and/or combination of CBD and THC (in the context of natural isolates) to obtain the optimized therapeutic benefit. Detailed pharmacokinetic analysis of absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion of these medical cannabinoids in various and larger patients groups is still lacking and only beginning to emerge. This presentation will review the state of the art advanced formulations of phytocannabinoid products and assess the utility of nano and micro-emulsions, liposomes, inclusion complexes, and related solubility enhancement approaches, along with other complex custom-tailored formulations. Comparative importance of different delivery routes, e.g. intra-oral, nasal, rectal, transdermal vs. traditional modalities is actively debated in current literature. Careful selection and fine-tuning of the proper physicochemical characteristics of the formulated cannabinoids combined with appropriate body targeting will play a key role in enabling better-designed human clinical studies to yield more meaningful pharmacokinetic parameters and establishing PK-PD relations along with predictable dosing. This will, in turn, lead to unveiling the full potential of phytocannabinoids in treating multiple disease conditions for which there is still limited scientific evidence.

Formulating phytocannabinoids for better efficacy and safety

Macromolecular Chemistry: The Second Century

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ACS Spring 2020 National Meeting & Expo

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.