About one million dogs in Australia are estimated to suffer from skin conditions and a Tasmanian-linked medicinal cannabis company wants to help.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Perth-headquartered AusCann Group Holdings Limited is working towards getting its DermaCann product registered for use in Australia.
The oral product is intended to be anti-inflammatory and give immune support to dogs with dermatological conditions.
AusCann said a randomised, placebo-controlled and double-blind study found DermaCann was safe and effective at reducing inflammatory skin lesions in dogs diagnosed with atopic dermatitis.
It said treatment with DermaCann led to an average reduction of 51 per cent of their CADESI-4 scores (a method to assess the effect of treatments on dogs with atopic dermatitis).
AusCann told the ASX it had submitted the first of four modules related to DermaCann to the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Association (APVMA).
The toxicological module was the first to be submitted.
AusCann - which has a medicinal cannabis resin supply deal with Tasmanian Alkaloids - said further modules involving safety, effectiveness and manufacturing were in the final stages of completion.
"The unique property of DermaCann is an exclusive combination of plant-based ingredients, including high-purity cannabidiol, to help strengthen the natural immune and inflammatory responses in dogs through activation of the endocannabinoid system," AusCann said.
It said the global canine skin and dermatitis market was worth an estimated $2 billion and about one million Australian dogs had dermatological conditions.
"Subject to approval, DermaCann would be the first and only APVMA-approved, cannabinoid-based veterinary product to be legally supplied via prescription through Australian veterinarians," it said.
The company is also seeking approval for DermaCann in South Africa and aims to commercialise the product in the US, where some states allow sale of animal products containing cannabidiol without requiring registration.
AusCann said the full APVMA assessment was expected to take 18 months and it was aiming for registration in the last quarter of 2022.
"Now that the required safety studies and toxicological evaluation has been conducted, we can give greater certainty to veterinarians that this CBD medicine will be safe for use in dogs," safety and toxicology advisor Jeffery Sharman said.