We were delighted to be selected as one of 50 abstracts to present in the COVID-19 category at Royal College of Physician's (RCP) Medicine 2021. Cellen is proud to be actively engaged in a variety of research projects, and this January 2021 we were able to showcase some of our latest work at this International conference.
At Cellen, we have been working tremendously hard to care for patients with pain during the COVID-19 pandemic. One area we have been trying to assist on in particular has been helping to address barriers to access for patients that require prescription cannabinoid-based medicines. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated this access problem, with border crossing and import supply chains facing disruptions. Reports investigating the barriers to accessing these medicines on the NHS list the lack of knowledge and education of cannabis use and its benefits as one of the main problems. We developed the MedCanHub platform, to increase the proficiency and confidence of doctors to prescribe, with the aim of making UK unlicensed Cannabis based Medicinal Products (UCBPMs) prescriptions transparent and accessible.
Cellen's abstract was titled "MedCanHub, a platform developed by Cellen aimed at reducing barriers of access to unlicensed Cannabis based Medicinal Products during the COVID-19 pandemic."
The MedCanHub supports clinicians accross the entire prescribing process. Prior to consultation, the MedCanHub supports prescribers by describing the process to acquire a controlled drug private prescriber number and with a checklist of contraindications. For consultation support, we developed a literature review of validated dosage of THC and CBD, a checklist of information to deliver to patients, a list of UCBPMs oils available in the UK, a treatment planner creation tool, and a sample prescription. Furthermore, the post-consultation support provided by the platform includes tools to generate CQC compliant letters, sending a prescription and how to report drug incidents to the MHRA. Lastly, links to online training, regulations and guidelines are included.
There is a long way to go in the development of novel and personalised medicines for people living with chronic pain, and we know that education is vital to this process. Our full abstract and poster presentation is available to view at RCP Medicine Conference 2021, and will be published in an RCP journal shortly.
For any questions, please email me at benjamin@cellenhealth.com or take a look at our MedCanHub here.