{"id":6188,"date":"2013-05-24T12:53:00","date_gmt":"2013-05-24T12:53:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.pharma-mkting.com\/j-embraces-special-k-for-depression-why\/"},"modified":"2019-02-21T01:17:25","modified_gmt":"2019-02-21T01:17:25","slug":"j-embraces-special-k-for-depression-why","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/ec2-54-175-84-28.compute-1.amazonaws.com\/pharma-mkting.com\/blog\/j-embraces-special-k-for-depression-why\/","title":{"rendered":"J&J Embraces “Special K” for Depression – Why Not Medical Marijuana?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n<\/a><\/div>\n

Current antidepressants take weeks or months to have an effect, and then only in 30% of patients, notes Matthew Herper, Forbes, in a recent post (see here<\/a>).<\/p>\n

Herper reports that J&J is “reinventing” ketamine as a product for the rapid treatment of depression just like your kids have been using it for years as a party drug under the name “Special K”.<\/p>\n

It is suggested that J&J’s embrace of ketamine as a product is courageous and that not many other corporate executives would be afraid of trying to turn ketamine as a product.<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

If it is courageous to consider party drugs to treat depression, it would be even more courageous to consider medical marijuana for this purpose.<\/p>\n

I have written about the medical benefits of marijuama before (see, for example, “Big Idea for 2013: Legalization of Marijuana. Will It Hurt Pharma?<\/a>“) and believe it would be much more effective and quicker acting than ketamine with fewer side effects.<\/p>\n

The chart below shows how I envision marijuana compares with ketamine and placebo (adapted from one of the slides in a presentation that J&J made to investors):<\/p>\n

\n<\/a><\/div>\n

\nOf course, you’d never see pharma present the last thing pharma companies want to see is the spread of legal marijuana, which would jeopardize the lucrative products like “reinvented” — ie, renewed patent protection — ketamine. As Lee Jackson, author of a Daily Finance article cited in the blog post mentioned above, says, “One thing [big pharma] wants is for marijuana to remain illegal.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Current antidepressants take weeks or months to have an effect, and then only in 30% of patients, notes Matthew Herper, Forbes, in a recent post (see here). 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