Staff in pharmaceutical jobs may be set to see a growing acceptance of cannabis-based treatments for multiple sclerosis (MS) spasticity following a key European regulatory decision.
Spain's ministry of health has announced that it will be providing reimbursement for the Almirall drug Sativex, meaning it will become widely available in the nation's hospital pharmacies soon.
The therapy is the first to be designed specifically for sufferers of MS-related spasticity who have failed to respond to other treatments.
According to industry analysis firm Datamonitor, this represents a "key milestone" for cannabis products of this kind, with Sativex now expected to generate yearly sales of $2 million (£1.23 million).
Dr Trung Huynh, healthcare analyst at Datamonitor, said the decision will persuade other European regulators to follow suit, including those in the UK, where Sativex is currently available on a restricted basis only.
"Datamonitor forecasts total sales for multiple sclerosis patients to reach $28 million by 2019 in the five major European markets," added Dr Huynh.