The Medical Cannabis Clinics hits milestone of 1,500 patients in 2020 60% market share with an estimated 2,500 patients now in the UK
LONDON, Jan. 6, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Despite the challenges and disruptions of the pandemic in 2020, there were successes for the healthcare sector beyond the development of vaccines. Natural alternative medicines in the UK, led by twenty-five prescribing specialist doctors at The Medical Cannabis Clinics (TMCC), have been growing further and further into the mainstream.
TMCC recently surpassed the significant benchmark of consulting and prescribing for over 1,500 patients, for which pharmacy Dispensary Green, owned by LYPHE Group, fulfills almost all medications. As a 60% market share of an estimated total of 2,500 cannabis patients in the UK in 2020, it's worth looking at a snapshot of this patient database.
Geographics
- In line with the pace of development of access to medical cannabis care, London remains the main centre of activity in the UK with around 40% of patients coming from this area.
- Birmingham, Manchester and Bristol account for 22% of other patient activity, Leeds, Nottingham and Liverpool a further 12%, with the remaining quarter of consultations distributed outside of urban areas throughout the country.
Demographics
- Demographics of treatments are revealing, with 73% of prescriptions being written for patients between the ages of 25 and 54 (25-34 26%, 35-44 27%, 45-54 20%).
- Only 11% of prescriptions have been written for patients aged 24 or under, of which only 4% are written for patients 17 or under, reflecting the greater degree of caution and scrutiny in prescribing for younger patients.
- Considering the substantial clinical potential of medical cannabis in managing later life ailments, there is still clearly work to be done in opening up treatments to elderly categories, with only 15% of prescriptions being written for patients over the age of 55.
- Further evidence to support the use of CBMPs for relevant conditions, as well as more education to remove prevalent misconceptions of medical cannabis in older age groups, will likely improve this picture.
- The gender distribution of patients is predominantly male (66%) over female (34%).
Treatment Areas
- Reflecting one of the primary areas of interest in and application for medical cannabis, around 50% of patients are receiving treatments for chronic pain conditions. These are often conditions like lower back pain, arthritic pain or pain relating to conditions like MS.
- A further 24% of patients are receiving medical cannabis care for psychiatric conditions. Often used as an adjunct to psychiatric care, treated conditions range from PTSD to anxiety and depression.
- Adult neurology represents around 11% of TMCC care to date, and these prescriptions are usually written for the management of symptoms relating to MS and other movement disorders.
- Complex care patients, such as those in palliative care or those needing combined clinical support to treat difficult conditions, represent 6% of patients.
- Gastroenterology conditions make up 3% of prescriptions, for conditions such as Crohn's or IBS. This proportion is the same for oncology patients, where medical cannabis can be prescribed to manage CINV.
- Paediatric neurology patients complete the picture, with around 3% of patients receiving medical cannabis care primarily for the management of intractable childhood epilepsy.
This snapshot provides a clear picture of the current state of care in the UK. While there is still plenty to be done in creating a deeper evidence base for the broader application of medical cannabis, TMCC have achieved a great deal over the past 12 months.
At the end of 2019, despite the change in legislation to allow for medical cannabis prescriptions being then a year old, general political and clinical inertia had only created the space for around a few dozen patients to receive treatments.
TMCC has evolved this situation to where we are now which represents a dramatic improvement, and with predictions of up to 15,000 patients in the UK by the end of 2021, we're looking forward to another year of exponential growth, and expanded and improved care.
About LYPHE GROUP:
LYPHE has built a patient-access ecosystem across the UK (and launching into Europe in 2021) that provides clinics, dispensing, import infrastructure and vital educational services to patients, doctors and the industry. Each operating company shares a central goal to pioneer patient access to safe and effective treatments while normalising cannabis into mainstream healthcare.
LYPHE is comprised of the following industry leading companies:
Dispensary Green - www.dispensarygreen.com
The Medical Cannabis Clinics - www.themedicalcannabisclinics.com
The Academy of Medical Cannabis - www.taomc.org
Astral Health - www.astral.health
About The Medical Cannabis Clinics:
The Medical Cannabis Clinics is a telemedicine clinic specialising in innovative cannabis-based medical therapies. TMCC are able to transform lives by giving patients with unmet medical needs access to the life-changing medical cannabis treatment options they so desperately need. www.themedicalcannabisclinics.com
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