It’s been almost 10 years since medicinal cannabis arrived in Australia, but seven in 10 doctors still have low confidence when it comes to prescribing.
The TGA’s moves to strengthen regulation of medicinal cannabis may have unintended consequences, with a new survey showing that doctors are more likely to prescribe the drug if it is listed on the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods.
Currently, the vast majority – upwards of 99% – of medicinal cannabis products prescribed in Australia are supplied through the TGA’s Special Access Scheme or Authorised Provider pathways.
That is to say; there are hundreds of medicinal cannabis products coming into Australia that have never been subject to any regulatory oversight.
When the pathways were opened almost a decade ago, the TGA had anticipated that cannabis companies would eventually register their products on the ARTG.
So far, only two products have made it on.
Matters came to a head earlier this year, when AHPRA revealed that some medical practitioners were allegedly writing more than 10,000 scripts for medicinal cannabis over six-month timeframes.
Now, the TGA is conducting a consultation which is likely to recommend closing off access to medicinal cannabis via the SAS and AP schemes and instead force cannabis suppliers to register their products on the ARTG.
Strictly speaking, the goal of the TGA consultation is not to restrict access to medicinal cannabis but to ensure that products being supplied are of appropriate quality, that there is confidence in the level of safety, efficacy and performance and that further evidence is being generated to support legitimate use as a therapeutic good.
According to a new report released by medicinal cannabis group Montu but produced by an external research company, three out of four medical practitioners have never prescribed medicinal cannabis.
The survey itself captured responses from 101 specialist GPs and other medical practitioners and 101 pharmacists.
Roughly three in four of the doctors who responded had never prescribed medicinal cannabis before, even though nine in 10 reported patients having asked about medicinal cannabis for conditions like cancer pain, chronic pain or anxiety.
While over half of the doctors said they felt confident advising patients on medicinal cannabis, just 30% rated their prescribing confidence at seven or above on a 10-point scale.
One in two doctors, however, said they would be more likely to prescribe medicinal cannabis products if they were listed on the ARTG or were TGA approved via another pathway.
Montu’s general manager of medical relations, Nicolette Senserrick, called the complexity of the SAS and AP schemes a “major barrier preventing wider adoption” of medicinal cannabis.
“We believe that tackling this regulatory complexity is crucial to enabling more GPs to prescribe with confidence and better respond to patient demand,” she said.
“This timely research underscores the need to simplify these pathways and provide clearer guidance to enhance access and improve patient care.”
Montu owns several key players in the medicinal cannabis landscape, including Alternaleaf telehealth clinic, Leafio distribution, uMeds fulfilment, Montu medicinal cannabis products and Saged clinical education platform.
The final report from the TGA inquiry into cannabis regulation is not expected for several months.
