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<p>Whether to prescribe any medicine is a clinical decision and the Government has
enabled the prescription of cannabis-based products for medicinal use where it is
clinically appropriate. The Chief Medical Officer and NHS England have written to
doctors and pharmacists to highlight the available guidance on the prescribing and
use of unlicensed medicines and to clarify the procedure for prescribing and supplying
cannabis-based products for medicinal use. Health Education England has also published
an e-learning module on medicinal cannabis.</p><p>The licensed cannabis-based medicine
Epidyolex is prescribed and routinely funded by the National Health Service for Dravet
syndrome and Lennox-Gastaut syndrome. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory
Agency has recently approved Epidyolex for a third form of epilepsy and it is now
being assessed by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) for
this indication. The licensed medicine Sativex is also routinely funded to treat moderate
to severe spasticity in adults with multiple sclerosis. On 6 September, NHS England
issued a reminder to clinical commissioning groups of NICE’s guidance relating to
Sativex and will be monitoring its uptake.</p><p>The latest NICE guidelines demonstrate
a clear need for more evidence to support routine prescribing and funding decisions
for unlicensed cannabis-based products on the NHS. The Government continues to support
the establishment of clinical trials with NHS England and NHS Improvement and the
National Institute for Health Research and from 1 April introduced a national patient
registry to record patient outcomes. Since January 2020, the Refractory Epilepsy Specialist
Clinical Advisory Service has been in place to provide advice and support for doctors
to optimise the treatment of refractory epilepsy.</p><p> </p>
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