The applicability aspects of medical marijuana in Poland

Background: Cannabis has been used medicinally for centuries. Historically, cannabis-based medicines have been used to treat many conditions. In the 20th century, their use was criminalized worldwide. Nowadays, many countries decriminalize their use. The complexity of the subject and the qualitative variability of the active factors of individual varieties of this species determine new areas that require research and analysis. Attention is drawn to legal issues, quality control issues, and shortages of randomized and controlled clinical trials. The article is addressed to health care professionals and people interested in legal and medical aspects and the potential benefits and challenges related to medical cannabis. Aim of the study: The aim of article analyzed the legal and practical aspects of access to marijuana and its use for medical application in Poland. Materials and method: Comparing legal solutions and analyzing differences in the regulations of marijuana used for medical purposes in selected countries will also make it possible to indicate the directions of development in this area in Poland. Results: This article discusses the legal framework for access to medical cannabis and its use for medical purposes. There are at least twenty-one types of raw materials on the market in Poland, which, while maintaining the same levels of THC and CBD, differ in their terpene profile and, therefore, in detailed therapeutic properties. Understanding the differences can enable pharmacists to support and monitor patient drug therapy in this area. The area of medical use of cannabis was also presented in terms of the possibility of cooperation between physicians and pharmacists in providing services to patients in order to achieve therapeutic effectiveness and develop risk management tools for pharmacotherapy using medical marijuana. Conclusions: As limitations in research and use are eliminated, new therapeutic options will be explored. Despite numerous challenges and limitations related to the use of Cannabis, such as the problems of raw material selection, quality control, stability, safety and effectiveness, the achievements so far in this area should be considered encouraging and important for the health care system in Poland

Physicochemical characterization and dissolution studies of acyclovir solid dispersions with Pluronic F127 prepared by the kneading method

The dissolution rate of anhydrous acyclovir was improved by the preparation of physical mixtures and solid dispersions with the non-ionic polymer Pluronic F127 using the kneading method at different drug-to-polymer ratios. The obtained physical mixtures and solid -dispersions were examined in terms of drug content and possible physical and chemical interactions between the drug and polymer using FTIR spectral studies, differential scanning calorimetry and powder X-ray diffraction analysis. The dissolution rate of acyclovir was determined using the rotating disk method. It was found that the minimal content of the polymer within the mixtures needed to increase the dissolution rate of the drug was 50 %

Prospects for development of pharmacy in Poland until the year 2030 : the document of the national section of pharmaceutical care of the Polish Pharmaceutical Society

Modern society expects pharmacists to be more involved in monitoring and supervising pharmacotherapy. International documents clearly define pharmacists as guardians of the safety and effectiveness of pharmacotherapy, not coincidentally putting safety matters first. With regard to this issue, the National Section of Pharmaceutical Care of the Polish Pharmaceutical Society hereby presents its own proposal for the development of modern pharmaceutical practice in Poland. The purpose of the proposed actions is to increase the involvement of pharmacists from generally accessible pharmacies in ensuring the safety and effectiveness of pharmacotherapy applied outside of hospitals and improving health indicators within society over the next ten to twenty years

Solvent driven phase transitions of acyclovir-the role of water and solvent polarity

Acyclovir, an antiviral purine derivative listed on the WHO's Model List of Essential Medicines, is commonly used in several different dosage forms from tablets to gels, oleogels and suspensions. Although temperature driven phase transitions of its commercially available 3 : 2 hydrate have been known since 2011, information on the solvent driven phase transitions of this drug has been limited. This study identifies the pathways of transformations of acyclovir forms I and V induced by organic solvents and water using the method of solution mediated phase transformation. The 3 : 2 hydrate, form V, undergoes dehydration to anhydrous form I in methanol, ethanol and N,N-dimethylformamide. Form I converts to anhydrous form II in dry methanol and N,N-dimethylformamide, while increased water content in the solvent prevents the transformation of form I to form II. Both forms I and V yield a gel-like material in dimethyl sulfoxide, composed of highly crystalline form II and reported here for the first time. Furthermore, significant differences in the thermal dehydration process of forms V and VI were observed using VT FTIR, including the first time report on a novel metastable ACV form VII formed upon dehydration of ACV dihydrate (form VI). High resolution solid-state NMR spectra of two anhydrous polymorphs (forms I and II) and two hydrates (forms V and VI) supported by DFT calculations using the CASTEP code are also presented

Molecular level characterisation of the surface of carbohydrate-functionalised mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSN) as a potential targeted drug delivery system via high resolution magic angle spinning (HR-MAS) NMR Spectroscopy

Atomistic level characterisation of external surface species of mesoporous silica nanomaterials (MSN) poses a significant analytical challenge due to the inherently low content of grafted ligands. This study proposes the use of HR-MAS NMR spectroscopy for a molecular level characterisation of the external surface of carbohydrate-functionalised nanoparticles. MSN differing in size (32 nm, 106 nm, 220 nm) were synthesised using the sol-gel method. The synthesised materials displayed narrow particle size distribution (based on DLS and TEM results) and a hexagonal arrangement of the pores with a diameter of ca. 3 nm as investigated with PXRD and N2 physisorption. The surface of the obtained nanoparticles was functionalised with galactose and lactose using reductive amination as confirmed by FTIR and NMR techniques. The functionalisation of the particles surface did not alter the pore architecture, structure or morphology of the materials as confirmed with TEM imaging. HR-MAS NMR spectroscopy was used for the first time to investigate the structure of the functionalised MSNs suspended in D2O. Furthermore, lactose was successfully attached to the silica without breaking the glycosidic bond. The results demonstrate that HR-MAS NMR can provide detailed structural information on the organic functionalities attached at the external surface of MSN within short experimental times

Pluronic® F-127 enhances antifungal activity of fluconazole against resistant Candida strains

Candida strains as the most frequent causes of infections, along with their increased drug resistance, pose significant clinical and financial challenges to the healthcare system. Some polymeric excipients were reported to interfere with the multidrug resistance mechanism. Bearing in mind that there are a limited number of marketed products with fluconazole (FLU) for the topical route of administration, Pluronic F-127 (PLX)/FLU formulations were investigated in this work. The aims of this study were to investigate (i) whether PLX-based formulations can increase the susceptibility of resistant Candida strains to FLU, (ii) whether there is a correlation between block polymer concentration and the antifungal efficacy of the FLU-loaded PLX formulations, and (iii) what the potential mode of action of PLX assisting FLU is. The yeast growth inhibition upon incubation with PLX formulations loaded with FLU was statistically significant. The highest efficacy of the azole agent was observed in the presence of 5.0 and 10.0% w/v of PLX. The upregulation of the CDR1/CDR2 genes was detected in the investigated Candida strains, indicating that the efflux of the drug from the fungal cell was the main mechanism of the resistance

A review of polymers as

In the article, groups of multifunctional polymers used in drug dosage form technology were classified and evaluated. These compounds, in addition to their basic function as excipients, may have additional properties, e.g. stimuli sensitivity, enzyme inhibition, intestinal epithelium penetration enhancement, efflux pump inhibition, taste-masking, pharmacological activity and the ability to interact with enzymes responsible for drug metabolism. While classifying specific groups of multifunctional polymers, special emphasis was placed on the advantages of using them when designing new drug. Such advantages include, i.a., increasing substance bioavailability, improving substance stability during formulation and the possibility of obtaining forms of controlled or localized release to a specific site in the organism

Application of chitosan in the formulation of dermatological hydrogels prepared on the basis of macromolecular compounds

The effect of chitosan concentration on the properties of dermatological preparations prepared with 2% methylcellulose and 10% polyvinylpyrrolidone was studied. As the levels of chitosan, propylene glycol-1,2 and glycerol increased, the hardness, consistency and cohesiveness of the hydrophilic gels increased, while the dissipation capacity decreased. Gels based on methylcellulose and chitosan, compared to formulations containing polyvinylpyrrolidone, have a higher rate of loss of volatile compounds, higher pH values for 1,2-propylene glycol formulation and higher texture parameters. The tested hydrogels have good rheological properties, allowing extrusion from the tube and spreading on the skin