12 applications for allocation of special funds related to medicinal cannabis

The application deadline for the second allocation of special funds for accumulation of scientific knowledge in regard to the medicinal cannabis pilot programme has now expired. The Danish Medicines Agency received 12 applications.

In March 2018, an additional DKK 5 million of special funds were earmarked for the accumulation of knowledge on the use and effect of medicinal cannabis. The special funds were open to one or several projects that were to use registry data and/or patient interviews to explore patients’ treatment courses, consumption of cannabis products compared to conventional medicines, contacts with healthcare services and the patient-experienced effect and quality in relation to everyday coping with pain.

The next steps

The Danish Medicines Agency has forwarded the 12 applications to the Innovation Fund Denmark, which will make a research scientific evaluation of the applications. The applications that the Innovation Fund Denmark considers eligible for funding will then be put in order of priority by a monitoring group. The Danish Medicines Agency will establish a monitoring group chaired by Professor Gorm Greisen and joined by members from health-scientific organisations and patient organisations.

The monitoring group will recommend an order of priority to the Danish Medicines Agency. The Danish Medicines Agency will then send a recommendation to the Ministry of Health, which will make a final decision on the allocation of research funds.

Grants or refusals will be communicated to applicants in early September 2018 at the latest. The allocation of funds will be announced by a news statement on the websites of both the Ministry of Health and the Danish Medicines Agency.

The scientific accumulation of knowledge can run from the beginning of September 2018, the expected time for funds allocation, to 1 May 2020.