WA Medical Cannabis Partnership Announced

Some doctors in Western Australian and their patients should have easier and faster access to medical cannabis resulting from a deal signed between Jupiter Health Clinics and Montu.

Founded in 2011, Jupiter Health and Medical Services is a network of more than 300 doctors in 30 medical practices across the state, and is one of the largest networks of GPs in Western Australia.

Montu works with doctors in Australia to support them in developing pathways to medical cannabis access for their patients. It also has a brand of medical cannabis products called “Circle” that are produced as part of a white label agreement with Canadian licensed producer, Aleafia Health Inc.

Montu will be working with Jupiter’s GP’s to educate and provide guidance on how medical cannabis can be prescribed to treat more than 30 conditions.

“Despite significant patient growth in Australia, medical cannabis is still seen as a niche treatment option and this partnership is a significant step to integrate cannabis into medical practice more broadly.” said Montu Managing Director Christopher Strauch.

Here’s how the process works.

Montu will assist the doctor throughout the prescription process to evaluate if medical cannabis is right for the patient. It notes other conventional therapies must have been tried previously before medical cannabis can be considered.
Assuming suitability is confirmed, the doctor will be assisted in applying for the relevant approvals.
Once approved, Montu ships the medication to a pharmacy near the patient for pick-up. The company says it works with a nationwide network of pharmacies to accelerate and streamline patient access.
“This partnership allows our patients access to Montu’s high-quality medical cannabis medication ‘Circle’ through secure, safe and reliable channels,” said Jupiter Health CEO Michael Gendy.

Medical practitioners in Western Australia are able to prescribe medicinal cannabis products but approval from the Department of Health is required for each patient in the case of medicines that are Schedule 8, which include those with THC levels above 2%. There are no requirements for Department of Health authorisation for cannabidiol only products in Schedule 4, but TGA requirements must still be met.

According to Montu, around 36% of Australian patients ask GPs about medical cannabis, but less than 5 percent of Australian doctors have prescribed it. Basically, companies such as Montu help take the headache and confusion out of the prescribing process for doctors and accelerate the delivery of products for patients. And in the case of a patient in a significant amount of pain or experiencing other health issues that can’t be addressed with conventional medications, every day without relief is a long one.