The Federal Commission for the Protection against Sanitary Risks (Cofepris), considered that by 2018 Mexican pharmacies will already have marijuana-based drugs available, which will mean savings for those patients who require them.
In a press conference in the framework of the International Week of Science and Good Regulatory Practices, the head of Cofepris, Julio Sánchez and Tépoz, said that this is the most important part of the Reform to the General Health Law, whose is currently being prepared and will be ready on December 20.
“The decree that reforms our General Health Law and eliminates the absolute prohibition on cannabis, will allow, based on the rules we have to issue by December, that there are products available to the public in pharmacies, with cannabis content, for therapeutic use, “he said.
He noted that individual permits are currently granted and the interested parties have to absorb, in addition to the cost of the medicine, the import costs.
Once the relevant regulation is in place and the reform enters into force, the supply of this type of products will be available in national establishments.
“There will be companies that will be able to request a sanitary registration to the Cofepris and this will allow having authorization for its importation, for its commercialization and even for its production in national territory, with which undoubtedly the prices will be reduced and will generate benefits in terms of access to the public, “he added.
He pointed out that from 2015 to date, Cofepris has positively resolved 243 permits for the importation of cannabidiol drugs.
While 16 were prevented, that is, they were asked for more information before issuing a resolution on the application, and two more were denied by not meeting the requirements to obtain the corresponding permit.
Sánchez y Tépoz, said that for the elaboration of the Regulation on the therapeutic use of marijuana, the interinstitutional group that is working will exhaust the 180 days the legal term gives them, counted from the 20th of this month.
He stated that the marijuana crop will be authorized only for research purposes and for limited quantities, so large areas will not be justified.
“With the reform, the harvest is no longer banned, but it requires a clinical protocol, a scientific methodology so that they can plant, it will not be possible to authorize companies that want to plant 100 hectares for sale,” he said.
