J&J Embraces "Special K" for Depression - Why Not Medical Marijuana?

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).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".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.If it is courageous to consider party drugs to treat depression, it would be even more courageous to consider medical marijuana for this purpose.I have written about the medical benefits of marijuama before (see, for example, "Big Idea for 2013: Legalization of Marijuana. Will It Hurt Pharma?") and believe it would be much more effective and quicker acting than ketamine with fewer side effects.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):Of 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."
Source: Pharma Marketing Blog - Category: Pharma Commentators Tags: medical marijuana antidepressants Johnson and Johnson ketamine Source Type: blogs