In an exciting mainstream media report yesterday, NBC News highlighted a groundbreaking new development from the lab of Dr. Raphael Mechoulam, the godfather of cannabis chemistry: cannabinoid acids.

Dr. Mechoulam, an organic chemist and professor of medicinal chemistry based at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, led the first team of researchers to discover and synthesize the two primary medicinal compounds in cannabis, CBD and THC, back in 1963 and 1964, respectively (1). He began the first clinical trials on CBD and epilepsy in 1980, but it would be nearly 40 years before FDA approval, in the form of GW Pharmaceuticals’ Epidiolox, would grant access to patients seeking better treatment alternatives in 2018 (2).

On Monday, while presenting at this year’s CannMed Conference in Pasadena, Calif., Mechoulam and his team announced that they had “developed a process for creating synthetic, stable acids” ready to be licensed for drug development and subsequent research.

Until now, acidic cannabinoids, including THCA and CBDA, have been notoriously difficult to source and sustain. These raw-plant compounds are the primary constituents of the cannabis plant—with “activated” molecules only popping up in small numbers—and are readily converted into their neutral forms, THC and CBD, with the addition of heat and time, a process known as “decarboxylation,” making stable formulations easier said than done (3).

Cannabinoid acids have shown great therapeutic promise without risk of intoxication, in the case of THC, and with greater water solubility and bioavailability than their activated progeny (4, 5).  

For example, as the NBC article pointed out, researchers at the University of Guelph have shown CBDA to be “1,000 times more potent than CBD in reducing acute nausea” (6) and this raw compound also demonstrates remarkable COX-2 inhibition that could prove valuable in reducing inflammatory pain without the risk of gastrointestinal injury, as is seen with NSAID applications (7).

One of the most beneficial aspects of THCA is its ability to act therapeutically without the intoxicating effects associated with THC, leaving more wiggle room in its therapeutic window. Additionally, THCA has demonstrated potent neuroprotective benefits in an in vitro model of Parkinson’s disease and exciting antineoplastic (anti-cancer) results in several prostate and breast cancer models (5).

According to the NBC article, Mechoulam’s research on acidic cannabinoids is in partnership with “a startup called EPM, six universities in Israel, the U.K. and Canada, the world’s largest topical cream company, and a publicly traded laboratory company”—the U.S. is still out of the picture due to restrictive research access and the prohibitory scheduling of cannabis compounds. As EPM co-founder, Reshef Swisa, expressed to NBC, he sees the first applications for the acidic compounds likely going towards topical products targeting symptoms of psoriasis with an eye on Phase 1 FDA testing within six to twelve months.

While this news is encouraging, FDA approval doesn’t move quickly and there are still many years ahead of us before we see a marketable product from the pharmaceutical industry making its way into the hands of the people who need it now. A good reminder that all you need is access to the raw plant and a juicer to find relief today.

After Bruce Linton was ousted from Canopy Growth Corp. in July, the Canadian business executive has taken on a role as special adviser at Better Choice Co., a U.S.-based animal health and wellness company focused on CBD products and data with an eye to international expansion.

Better Choice CEO Damian Dalla-Longa says that the decision to bring Linton into the fold has as much to do with this his past as it does with the company’s future. “He is very focused specifically in the animal world with bringing R&D and data to the space.”

Dalla-Longa and his team started the business before the 2018 Farm Bill passage, and he says the company is propelled in part by “tremendous regulatory tailwinds” with that legislation. Now, he’s watching the FDA and other agencies to see how the puzzle piece of CBD fits into the broader consumer-packaged goods (CPG) marketplace. Better Choice is rooted in Wall Street investment backgrounds and CPG know-how among its executive team. Linton is a natural fit, he adds.

The company is fronting two major data initiatives. With a partner in Israel, Better Choice is working on a clinical trial process to develop specific chemical formulations for veterinary-based prescriptions of CBD products—specifically for canine anxiety and stress. And in the Netherlands, Better Choice is working on a dosing regime, perfecting and analyzing weight-based dosage ratios for dogs.

“The overall goal here at Better Choice is to be continuously innovating, continuously iterating on the products that we're creating, and ultimately being the leader in research-based formulation,” Dalla-Longa says. “Ultimately, that’s what’s going to create the highest-quality products for pet owners and, ultimately, pets.”

Data-backed product development increases the addressable market for products, which is important, Dalla-Longa says, because part of the challenge in the CBD space is “convincing consumers who may otherwise be skeptical of cannabinoid-based products.” Much of the marketplace now is pure marketing messaging—with little information about the efficacy of cannabinoid treatment, due mostly to the lack of federal regulations.  

Bottom line, Dalla-Longa says: Linton’s business connections and knowledge of the cannabis space are an asset to any company working with cannabinoid research in a consumer-packaged goods capacity.

“He's just a knowledgeable adviser in the business who has navigated an industry that is transitioning into a legal marketplace, and we value that expertise,” he said. “We keep ourselves at Better Choice to a very high standard in the space and we run our business, trying to make sure that we maintain that gold standard the whole way through. We really value Bruce's opinion as we continue to grow.”

Better Choice Co. formed as a merger between TruPet and Bona Vida. The former was a premium dog food distributor “with a special focus on freeze dried and dehydrated raw products,” and the latter was a CBD holdings portfolio with assets in both the human and animal worlds. Better Choice is using the background of each of its company predecessors to build its way into the CBD space effectively.

“We have a fully functional non-CBD, premium, focused animal health business that we can just easily layer CBD on top of and get into the market quickly,” Dalla-Longa says.

He points to the evolution of the cannabis industry thus far, something in which Linton is very conversant. Research and development—product innovation and branding, in particular—is critical in these early days of the industry. Citing Linton’s work with Tweed and the rest of the sprawling Canopy Growth network, Dalla-Longa says the company’s vision is falling into place with broader exposure to distribution channels and a real grasp of data-oriented goals and supply chain integration.