Israeli Cannabis Startup Sets Sights on Beating Cancer

Israeli biotech company Cannabotech’s CannaboBreast products may have efficacy in supplementing chemotherapy to treat breast cancer, according to a medical study conducted by the Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem, Israel.

According to the study, Cannabotech’s cannabinoid products, used in combination with standard chemotherapy, were six times as efficient in destroying cancer cells as standard treatment without use of CannaboBreast products, the The Jerusalem PostPost reported earlier this month.

“A significant proportion of active cancer patients are currently treated with cannabis in parallel with conventional treatment. The integrative products developed by Cannabotech are unique in that they are developed to standards similar to those of the pharmaceutical industry and combine several active agents, Hadassah senior oncologist Dr. Tami Peretz said.

“The company’s products have demonstrated impressive and very promising activity in laboratory-tested cell cultures. Based on these experiments, there is room to start exploring the possibility of integrating the products in the treatment of breast cancer patients as well.”

An additional benefit, the study suggested, is that cannabinoids might increase the effectiveness of eliminating breast cancer cells with chemotherapy while also reducing the required doses of chemotherapy drugs to do so. Chemotherapy side effects are a barrier to treatment for some patients.

“This is a significant milestone in Cannabotech’s growth to becoming a leader in integrative medicine. The integrative products developed by Cannabotech are intended for use in combination with chemotherapy treatment in several cancers and are expected to be a launched in Israel and the US in the second half of 2022, while the company’s goal is to define a new standard for the medical cannabis industry,” Cannabotech CEO Elchanan Shaked said in a statement.

Cannabotech develops botanical solutions for preventive medicine and integrative medicine based on combinations of active agents from the cannabis plant and fungi that work on two central systems in the human body: the endocrine system and the immune system.