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To: Division Communications Managers

All Ontario Staff

Ontario Chapter/ Unit Chairs

Ontario Chapter Administrators

Ontario Directors of Research Advocacy

Communications Update Special Distribution List

CBC will be broadcasting a story on the MS drug Sativex.

Date: The date of broadcast is Wednesday, January 12th, 2006

Time/Program:

CBC National TV: Canada Now with Ian Hanomansing, 6:30pm - 7:30pm
CBC Newsworld: in rotation, times unknown


Subject:

Sativex, an MS drug derived from cannibis and used for neuropathic pain, has been approved for Phase III clinical trials in the US to treat cancer. CBC is doing an update on how Sativex is doing in Canada (the first nation in the world to approve the drug). The MS Society arranged interviews with Dr. Jock Murray, reknowned neurologist and founder of the Dalhousie MS clinic as well as Janet Liston, a person with MS who has taken Sativex.

Thanks to Stewart Wong for providing us with this information. Please distribute within your chapter, unit, or division as appropriate.

Thanks,

Cindy

C.K. (Cindy) DesGrosseilliers

Manager, Communications

Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada

1-866-922-6065, ext. 3015 or 416-967-3015

Melody,

The portion of the program dealing with Sativex was quite brief and short on much detail. I was kind of disappointed in that they didn't go into any kind of depth on any aspect of the drug.

The CAD $ 500.00 a month price tag the reporter mentioned was kind of high in that a user would require 6-7 "puffs" a day to reach that level of expense and the instructions say one "spray" every 4 hours. I suppose if a person was in constant pain and had to continually use the Sativex, it could reach that level.

But for Bayer Canada, the distributors in Canada and GW Pharmaceuticals, the developers in the UK, the brief publicity would be beneficial to them.

Harry