Medicinal aspects, pharmaceutical dosage forms, and Brazilian legislation against cannabinoids

Abstract

Cannabinoids are substances found in the Cannabis sativa plant, which have relevant legal aspects for their use despite having health benefits. Therefore, this article aimed to conduct a bibliographical survey on the use of cannabinoids in the treatment of severe diseases, presenting its possible pharmaceutical forms, the mechanism of action of isolated drugs and metabolites, and the legalization of C. sativa medicines in Brazil. Hence, documents were selected between 2010 and 2020, in Portuguese, English, and Spanish, from the Virtual Health Library, Capes Periodicals, PubMed, and Academic Google databases. 52 documents were used in the results. Cannabidiol and delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol stood out among the substances by composing medications such as Mevatyl® and Edipiolex®. Mevatyl® for multiple sclerosis, dronabinol/nabilone for nausea and vomiting, and Epidiolex® for severe epilepsies. The most cited pharmaceutical forms are oral and inhaled sprays, whose mechanism of action is acting through the endocannabinoid system. RDC nº 17/15, Ordinance nº 344/98, and RDC nº 2.113/14 were the leading legislations cited. We can conclude that the legislation favored the possibility of using cannabinoids. However, there is still bureaucracy, in addition to the high purchase price. Cannabinoids have promising results in the treatment of diseases. However, there are still differences in the benefit against some pathologies, requiring the development of more research to fill the gaps still open regarding the use of medicinal cannabis.