In a leap that will eliminate the risks of vaping or smoking, Canada has just approved an Israeli-made inhaler that is able to provide exact microdoses of cannabis more safely.
The inhaler was developed by Syqe Medical, with funding from the Israel Innovation Authority, and use of half-million-dollar 3D printer for free as a beta product. It has been tested as a way to administer THC in pain patients in Israel, where users report quality of life improvements and fewer psychoactive and undesirable side effects.
The company’s research results published in the European Journal of Pain, showed that patients experienced a 90 percent reduction in adverse effects associated with cannabis in comparison to other administration methods such as oil, smoking and vaping. Strikingly the optimal dose to reduce pain was only around 500 micrograms inhaled three times a day — much lower that the amount of THC normally vaped.
Following their success in Canada, Syqe are now working to introduce their product at home in Israel. The company is also seeking regulatory approval in the US and several other European countries.
"The approval in Canada would not have been possible without the 10 years of technological development and clinical trials, demonstrating that low doses alongside high precision delivery result in the optimal cannabis treatment,” Syqe Medical’s CEO and founder, Perry Davidson, told the Jerusalem Post.
Specific doses in increments as small as 100 micrograms can be delivered by using dedicated thermal controllers and lung monitoring systems that automatically adjust airflow. The inhaler is also capable of transmitting usage data to help researchers.
The Syqe cannabis inhaler recently obtained the EU’s CE quality kitemark for health, safety, and environmental protection, but Canada is the first national healthy authority to approve the device. Regulatory approvals are now being sought in Israel, the US and several European countries.
Sources: Merry Jane, The Jerusalem Post
