The Federal Council of Medicine (CFM) decided to suspend the resolution that restricted the prescription of cannabidiol, a compound made from the cannabis sativa plant (marijuana), after an extraordinary meeting this Monday (24). The CFM had edited the rule ten days ago and faced strong criticism from experts and relatives of patients who rely on the compound.
In a public note, the council clarified that the terms of the rule of October 14 are suspended, “the decision to indicate the use of cannabidiol in the presentations authorized by the National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa) is under the responsibility of the doctor”.
Last week, the CFM had already decided to re-discuss the issue through public consultation. This Monday’s position reaffirmed the possibility of popular participation to receive contributions on the subject.
“Stakeholders will have 60 days — from October 24 to December 23, 2022 — to submit their suggestions through an electronic platform developed by CFM.”
Interested parties, informed the council, can position themselves on each of the articles and paragraphs of CFM Resolution No. 2,324/2022, and must provide some identification data.
“After this step, the user will be automatically connected to the system, making him/her able to present his/her proposals. The information, which will serve as a subsidy to CFM, will be treated under the criteria of secrecy and anonymity.”
Norma faced criticism
Published on October 14 in the Official Gazette (DOU), the CFM rule was met with criticism by experts.
By the now suspended rule, the council authorized the medical profession to prescribe the product only for the treatment of child and adolescent epilepsies associated with Dravet and Lennox-Gastaut syndromes and Tuberous Sclerosis Complex — and only in cases in which the patient has not shown good results with conventional treatments.
For the Associação Brasileira de Apoio Cannabis Esperança (Abrace), the resolution was controversial and the “fences interfere with the performance of the treatment of several patients and prohibit the spread of cannabis knowledge important to doctors and patients”, as reported on the occasion of the disclosure of the ordinance. .
The main controversy pointed out by critics of the resolution was the fact that there are already 18 medical cannabis products approved in Brazil by Anvisa, including a drug indicated for the treatment of stiffness associated with multiple sclerosis.
*Fabiana Cambricoli, Roberta Jansen and Marco Antônio Carvalho, from Estadão Conteúdo
Source: CNN Brasil
