GW FAQs

GW's cannabis plants are grown under computer-controlled conditions in secure glasshouses at a secret location in the UK. GW has developed a highly sophisticated cultivation process to ensure plant material grown is of sufficient quality and consistency to be suitable for incorporation into pharmaceutical products.

Strict Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) are followed to ensure non-contamination by chemicals, infestation or fungal growth, consistency of content, methods of harvest, drying, primary extraction, storage and onward consignment. Temperature, humidity, total light and photoperiod are all controlled by computer.

The facility is situated in the South of England but for clear security reasons we do not divulge the precise location.

Yes. GW operates under licences granted by the UK Home Office under Section 7 of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. These licences allow the Group to research and develop cannabinoid prescription medications.

GW is a pharmaceutical company developing a portfolio of cannabinoid prescription medications to meet patient needs in a wide variety of indications around the world. In April 2005 Sativex received regulatory approval from Health Canada for use as adjunctive therapy for the symptomatic relief of neuropathic pain in adults with multiple sclerosis. In August 2007, Health Canada approved Sativex as adjunctive analgesic treatment in patients with advanced cancer who experience moderate to severe pain during the highest tolerated dose of strong opioid therapy for persistent background pain. Both approvals were secured under the Notice of Compliance with Conditions (NOC/c) policy. Sativex is marketed in Canada exclusively by Bayer Healthcare.

GW's clinical research is initially focused on Multiple Sclerosis, cancer pain and neuropathic pain. The Company plans to continue to extend its research programme into new areas. In July 2007, GW and Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. announced that they had signed global cannabinoid research collaboration in the fields of Central Nervous System (CNS) and oncology in order to research, develop and commercialize a range of candidate cannabinoid products.

GW's head office is on the Porton Down Science Park near Salisbury in Wiltshire. The Group also has other offices in Cambridgeshire and London.

GW has approximately 120 employees.

GW Pharmaceuticals was founded in 1998 and listed on the AiM, a market of the London Stock Exchange, in June 2001. GW is licensed by the UK Home Office to work with a range of controlled drugs for medical research purposes.

GW is a pharmaceutical group developing a portfolio of cannabinoid prescription medicines to meet patient needs in a wide range of therapeutic conditions. GW has assembled a large team of scientists with extensive experience in developing both plant-based prescription pharmaceutical products and medicines containing controlled substances. GW maintains control over all aspects of the product development process - botanical research, cultivation, extraction, formulation into drug delivery technologies, clinical trials and regulatory affairs.

GW’s lead product, Sativex, is approved and marketed in Canada for the relief of neuropathic pain in Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and cancer pain. Each of these approvals was secured under the Notice of Compliance with Conditions (NOC/c) policy. Following recent positive Phase III clinical trial results, Sativex is currently the subject of a regulatory submission in the UK and Spain for the treatment of MS spasticity (muscle stiffness). An outcome of this submission is expected around the end of 2009 / early 2010. Sativex is also in late stage development in the United States for the treatment of cancer pain. GW has entered into three licensing agreements for Sativex – with Bayer HealthCare in the UK and Canada, with Almirall in Europe (excluding UK) and with Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd in the United States. GW occupies a world leading position in cannabinoid science and has developed an extensive international network of the most prominent scientists in the field. In mid 2007, GW’s early cannabinoid research activities were significantly expanded through the establishment of a global cannabinoid research agreement with Otsuka. Under this collaboration, GW and Otsuka are researching novel cannabinoids as potential treatments in the fields of Central Nervous System (CNS) disorders and oncology. In addition, GW has an in-house programme researching cannabinoids in the field of type 2 diabetes and related metabolic disorders. As part of this programme, GW set up in 2009 the GW Metabolic Research Laboratory at the University of Buckingham.

The Group was founded in early 1998 and was first granted licenses by the Home Office in June 1998 to research and develop cannabinoid prescription medications.