It’s common knowledge that cannabis compounds, such as CBD and THC, have therapeutic uses for everything from chronic pain to Covid-19.An Israeli immigrant, pharmacologist Raphael Mechoulam, was the first to isolate, name and synthesize some of the plant’s many cannabinoids in the 1960s.
Since then, Israel has led the world in medical cannabis research and development.But although countless medical cannabis products are marketed for people and pets, the US Food and Drug Administration has approved only one cannabis-derived prescription drug, seizure medication Epidiolex, due to difficulties achieving consistent, reliable dosing in pharmaceuticals made from plants.
While plant scientists are tackling that problem, Reshef Swisa and Asaf Ohana partnered with Mechoulam in late 2016 to establish a unique company that develops standardized prescription drugs derived from synthetic cannabinoid acids.
EPM (Endless Potential Molecules) now has 14 patented lab-made molecules soon to be tested in humans under US FDA guidance. Its chairman, former North American president of GW Pharmaceuticals Julian Gangolli, helped in the successful launch of Epidiolex.
EPM’s first targets are inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and psoriasis, two hard-to-treat autoimmune diseases.