When It Comes to Cannabis, Trust in Doctors'
Judgement Runs High
- Majority of Canadians (54%) believe taking cannabis for medical
reasons without consulting a doctor poses a risk.
- Knowledge of Canadian clinical trials investigating cannabis
medicines is low.
- Slim majority of Canadians agree that their doctor is informed
enough to treat them with cannabis.
- Majority of Canadians do not consider themselves as cannabis
users.
OTTAWA, Feb. 26, 2019 /CNW/ - According to a
recent Ipsos poll commissioned by Tetra Bio-Pharma, it seems that
Canadians believe that Doctor Knows Best when it comes to
recommending cannabis for a medical ailment, even though they are
less convinced that they are well enough informed to treat them
with it. That concern should change as cannabinoid derived
prescription drugs become approved by Health Canada, available in
pharmacies and covered by private and/or public drug plans. That
time is soon approaching as numerous clinical trials investigating
the safety and efficacy of cannabinoid-derived drugs are currently
underway.
The study revealed that two in three (65%) Canadians would be
willing (36% very/29% somewhat) to take a pharmaceutical drug
containing cannabis that their doctor prescribed, if it was
approved by Health Canada and covered by either public or private
insurance. Those more likely to be willing to take these drugs
include men (69%), those aged 18-34 (72%), and residents of
Ontario (71%). By contrast, if
these drugs were not covered by public or private insurance and
patients had to pay out of pocket, four in ten (38%) would still be
willing to do so (14% strongly/25% somewhat), particularly among
men (44%), those aged 18-34 (51%), and residents of BC (50%).
According to Dr. Guy Chamberland,
Chief Executive Officer and CSO of Tetra Bio-Pharma, a global
leader in the discovery and development of cannabinoid-derived
products, the Ipsos results reinforce current understanding of
consumer and physician behaviors. "Patients are open to cannabis as
a medical treatment but want their healthcare professional to be in
charge. On the flip side, doctors, medical bodies and payors need
the safety and efficacy data that they expect from any drug they
prescribe. Treatment with cannabis is complex, which is why the
pharmaceutical pathway assures precise dosing and consistent
formulation."
Tetra Bio-Pharma undertook the research to gain a better
understanding of the attitudes, behaviours and opinions of
Canadians on cannabis drugs, including their confidence in taking
them, the incidence of medical conditions they have where
cannabis treatment could be used, as well as any barriers to
cannabis drugs.
While much attention has been paid to the recent legalization of
recreational cannabis in Canada,
the Ipsos study shows that 69% of respondents do not consider
themselves to be cannabis users. Of those that do, half say they
use it for recreational purposes. Approximately a quarter of these
users report taking it exclusively for medical purposes. If that
number seems low, it could be because medical doctors and medical
associations are still waiting for scientific data before
recommending cannabis to their patients.
New Avenues for Pharmaceutical Research
Canadians seem
confident that cannabis has a therapeutic benefit and would be
willing to take it for pain and associated symptoms. An
overwhelming majority (82%) of Canadians agree (34% strongly
agree/48% somewhat) that cannabis can reduce pain and other
symptoms. Furthermore, over two-thirds (68%) of Canadians are
willing (30% very/38% somewhat) to take cannabis to help manage
chronic pain, insomnia, anxiety, or depression. This is potentially
interesting for those who suffer from conditions that could be
treated with cannabis-based medicines. Not surprisingly, this
proportion reaches 84% (60% strongly/24%) among those who suffer
from three or more conditions that have been linked to treatment
with a cannabis-based medicine.
When it comes to expanding access for patients to cannabis
medicines through the regulatory pathway, one in six Canadians
(17%) say they are closely following the progress being made with
Health Canada approving clinical trials for cannabis-based
medicines, while just over four in ten (41%) say they have heard of
this development, but are not following it at all. Another 18% said
they thought cannabis medicines already existed and the remaining
one-quarter (24%) said they were not at all aware.
While cannabis is being authorized for medical purposes under
the Cannabis Act, the products currently available are not Health
Canada approved prescription drugs. Several clinical trials are
underway in Canada with a view to
investigating the safety and efficacy of cannabinoid-derived
pharmaceuticals. Understandably, those suffering from one or more
conditions that could be treated with medical cannabis are more
likely to be following this news closely. Furthermore, over four in
ten (43%) report being willing (23% very/21% somewhat) to
participate in a clinical trial testing cannabis-based medicines if
these trials are approved by Health Canada and they were qualified
for the trial.
Doctor Knows Best
Canadians seem to recognize that
turning to cannabis to manage a health condition is not something
they should do on their own. Almost nine in ten (88%) believe that
there is some degree of risk (25% major/29% moderate/34% minor) in
taking cannabis for health conditions without consulting a
physician. This should be a comforting thought considering the side
effects that cannabis can have for individuals suffering from
mental illness, cardiac conditions and diabetes, among other
conditions.
Canadians' level of trust in their doctor remains high when it
comes to their judgement over whether to prescribe cannabis. Just
under three-quarters (72%) agree (29% strongly /43% somewhat) that
they would trust a drug containing cannabis if their doctor
prescribed it. Interestingly though, not everyone is fully
confident that their doctor is up-to-date on cannabis treatments.
Only a slim majority of Canadians agree that their doctor knows how
to treat them with cannabis (56%; 14% strongly/42% somewhat) and
that their doctor is sufficiently well-informed on how to do so
(53%; 13% strongly/41% somewhat). This suggests that Canadians
believe there is room for an improvement in knowledge. It is widely
believed that the integration of cannabinoid-derived drugs within
the Canadian medical system will become a catalyst for the
education and training of doctors on how to prescribe cannabis,
something that is complex given the need for precise dosing and
consistent product quality.
If ordinary Canadians are open to taking cannabis-based
medicines, it seems that doctors are also receptive to prescribing
them to patients. While only one in ten (11%) Canadians has asked
their doctor to prescribe cannabis for a health condition, 45% of
those who did so report that their doctor prescribed cannabis
willingly. Another 20% said their doctor prescribed cannabis, but
was hesitant, while 11% reported that their doctor prescribed
another drug instead.
About the Survey
These are some of the findings of an
Ipsos poll conducted between December 7 and
December 10, 2018, on behalf of Tetra Bio-Pharma. For this
survey, a sample of 2,002 Canadians aged 18+ was interviewed online
via the Ipsos I-Say panel. The poll is accurate to within ±2.5
percentage points, 19 times out of 20, had all Canadian adults been
polled.
About Tetra Bio-Pharma
Tetra Bio-Pharma (TSX-V: TBP)
(OTCQB: TBPMF) is a biopharmaceutical leader in cannabinoid-derived
drug discovery and development with a Health
Canada approved and FDA reviewed clinical program
aimed at bringing novel prescription drugs and treatments to
patients and their healthcare providers. Tetra Bio-Pharma has
subsidiaries engaged in the development of an advanced and growing
pipeline of Bio Pharmaceuticals and Natural Health containing
cannabis and other medicinal plant-based elements. With patients at
the core of its mission, Tetra Bio-Pharma is focused on
providing rigorous scientific validation and safety data required
for inclusion into the existing bio pharma industry by regulators,
physicians and insurance companies. For more information
visit: www.tetrabiopharma.com.
SOURCE Tetra Bio-Pharma Inc