New pain relieving spray is approved in Canada

The Canadian government announced Wednesday that it had approved a new pain relieving spray to help &to=http:// english.pravda.ru/main/2002/07/02/31606.html ' target=_blank>multiple sclerosis sufferers which contains cannabis. That makes Canada the first country to approve the spray for its citizens.

The new drug is called Sativex and a prescription will be required to obtain it. The medicine is administered in spray form and contains two compounds of the cannabis plant, delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol and cannabidiol. It is designed to alleviate neuropathic pain. Side effects include nausea, fatigue and dizziness and have been described as mild to moderate. Sativex, which is administered by an oral spray, relieves pain in patients that suffer from MS and is expected to hit the shelves by late spring, the Globe and Mail reported Wednesday. Neuropathic pain, or nerve pain, is a common symptom of MS and can occur in as many as 86 percent of people with the disease, publishes Washington Times.