"Unimed Says FDA Cleared Use of Appetite Stimulant"

Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1992. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

"Unimed Says FDA Cleared Use of Appetite Stimulant"

Wall Street Journal (12/23/92), P. B6

Abstract: The Food and Drug Administration approved the use of a synthetic form of one of the active ingredients in marijuana in treating the appetite loss frequently experienced in AIDS patients, according to Unimed, the manufacturer of the product. The product, Marinol, is known generically as dronabinol and is already used to help alleviate nausea caused by cancer chemotherapy. The drug was previously given orphan-drug status for the treatment of appetite and weight loss in AIDS patients. This status provides seven years of exclusive marketing rights. While some patients contend they experienced greater relief through the use of marijuana, the federal government earlier this year discontinued enrolling cancer, glaucoma, and AIDS patients in an experimental program where they were given marijuana cigarettes. Federal health officials have argued that those patients should switch from marijuana to alternative treatments such as Marinol.

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