UK patients lose access to vital cannabis oil as Bedrocan goes — SkimNews
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- Louis Petit returned to the UK in 2022 expecting access to medical cannabis through the NHS after years of treatment in the Netherlands, but has never received a prescription and relies on costly private supply.
- Bedrocan, the Dutch producer of the cannabis oil Bedrolite used by Petit and others with drug-resistant epilepsy, has declared bankruptcy, threatening the availability of the medication in the UK.
- NHS England has approved fewer than five prescriptions for unlicensed cannabis-based products like Bedrolite since 2018, leaving most patients dependent on the private market where treatment can cost up to £4,000 per month.
- Target Healthcare, a UK drug manufacturer, secured a six-month stockpile of Bedrolite to prevent an immediate shortage, but long-term access remains uncertain without NHS intervention.
- Kojo Koram highlights that while private cannabis companies profit from wellness-focused products like vapes and gummies, there is little incentive to fund clinical trials needed to license treatments for rare, serious conditions like complex epilepsy.
- Emma Petit, Louis’s mother, stated that NHS funding approval last year would have guaranteed his supply, as existing Dutch stockpiles could last into 2028.
Why it matters: Patients with severe epilepsy lose access to life-stabilizing treatment not due to medical failure but systemic neglect—fewer than five NHS prescriptions for unlicensed cannabis products have been approved despite legalisation, forcing reliance on a fragile private market that prioritises profitable wellness trends over rare, critical conditions.
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