Cannabis acne cure

Australians study skin-cleansing potential

TEENAGERS won’t just be smoking cannabis on the sly in the future – they could be openly smearing it on their face to prevent acne.

Aussie company Botanix is developing the first new acne treatment in 20 years that aims to fight pimples using a synthetic version of cannabidiol.

It won’t give teens a high because it uses the nonpsychotropic molecules of cannabis.

Botanix yesterday reported to the Australian Stock Exchange its first safety study on humans of the cannabis compound BTX 1503.

The study found the compound “has an excellent safety profile, with little to no skin irritation and no severe adverse events were recorded”.

Botanix executive director Matthew Callahan said phase two clinical trials will begin on acne patients within months.

Existing acne treatments involve antibiotics and a drug called Roaccutane which has been linked to birth defects and in the US requires users to be on a suicide watch program.

In 2014, a German study at Lubeck University found cannabidiol controlled oil production in the sebaceous gland tissue and also had anti-inflammatory effects.

“Collectively, our findings suggest that, due to the combined lipostatic, antiproliferative and anti-inflammatory effects, CBD has potential as a promising therapeutic agent for the treatment of acne vulgaris,” the study found.

Mr Callahan said there were reports of people using crude cannabis plant extracts to treat acne and it having a positive effect but no one knew which molecules made the difference.

His company tested chemicals in the cannabis plant to isolate the molecule active against acne and then made a synthetic version.

The chemical was then combined with a special delivery system called permetrex that ensures the substance gets to the right layers of the skin.

Mr Callahan is urging the federal government to put up $10 million to develop the infrastructure for later stage clinical trials in Australia.

Professor Rodney Sinclair from the Australasian College of Dermatologists says the acne treatment faces many hurdles.

“Having demonstrated there are cannabinoid receptors in the oil glands and that you can produce a biological change in them, now you’ve got to develop a cream to penetrate to the right level and have an effect on acne,” he said.

“That is the point where it will get exciting.”