After launching SSB 400, the first generic to treat hepatitis C, in 2015, Pharma 5 is tackling epilepsy. Made from therapeutic cannabis, this first generic Epidiolex is also the first cannabis-based medicine on the Moroccan market.
Intended to treat intractable epilepsy, this new product will be marketed in pharmacies during the first half of 2025. For the moment, neither the name nor the sales price have yet been determined by the drug and pharmacy management. The sales price will be, according to Pharma 5 managers, 50% cheaper than in Europe where the product is sold at 1,500 euros per box. Which is equivalent to a month’s treatment.
The effectiveness and therapeutic interest of the new generic having been proven, the drug will be reimbursed by social security organizations and insurance companies.
A measure that is necessary to make it accessible to patients. In Morocco, there are 400,000 people suffering from epilepsy, including 100,000 with intractable epilepsy who can have up to 40 seizures per day.
The launch of this product required an investment of 250 MDH, at least 25% of which was dedicated to research and development. The factory is located in the industrial zone of Ouled Salah, in Bouskoura.
Mandatory medical prescription
This generic, made from CBD, will only be issued on medical prescription, by neurologists in the case of this antiepileptic drug. For other planned drugs, the list of prescribers will be expanded depending on the specialties. Thus, Pharma 5 plans to produce treatment for migraines or for period pain, for example.
No indication concerning planned production has been communicated, but it should be noted that the laboratory is targeting the local market as well as export to middle-income countries and to countries where the new drug is not yet patented. Great opportunities present themselves for the laboratory since the patent of the principle will fall into the public domain in 2027.
Prior to distribution, Laboratoires Pharma 5 will work, in the coming months, to “demonize” the use of cannabis in medicine. Since 2022, when this project was launched, six training sessions for doctors, pharmacists and paramedics have been held. Pharma 5 highlights the manufacturing process highlighting the integration of manufacturing from culture to factory. The raw material comes from the Chaouen region where the laboratory has set up a partnership with three cooperatives bringing together around fifty farmers supervised and trained by Pharma 5 teams.
