Pharmaceutical company AusCann (ASX:AC8) says it has completed a successful pilot study of its final dose form for its cannabinoid medicines.
The company said it has been running a comprehensive pharmaceutical development project to create an optimal dosage form cannabinoid medicine.
The development work has involved studies on the foundational chemistry of cannabinoids drawing upon analytical expertise in the US and Australia which in turn has informed modelling and laboratory scale proof of concept work of this optimal form.
Medicinal cannabis is currently typically administered via oral liquids, liquid sprays, hard or soft-shell gelatin capsules containing cannabinoids dissolved in oils, or inhalation of dried material or extracts.
The company said the main drawback to these formulations is the stability of the active cannabinoids which results in variability in the composition and the efficacy of the formulations.
AusCann said it has developed a "unique effective stable oral dose form" that provides consistent and stable dosages of the active cannabinoids with reliable bioavailability.
It confirmed it has lodged a patent in respect to the intellectual property it has developed and will be used in the production of its first stage cannabinoid pharmaceuticals being released in first half of 2019.