For Medical Cannabis Users, the Biggest Problem Is a Consistent Dose, Says Syqe Medical CEO

Almost 80% of medical cannabis users consume the substance via smoking or vaping, methods that shorten its onset of action, but leave the question of dosage up in the air, according to Syqe Medical Ltd. founder and CEO Perry Davidson. Davidson spoke Monday at Calcalist’s cannabis conference in Tel Aviv.

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Founded in 2011, Tel Aviv-based Syqe Medical develops a pocket-sized metered-dose inhaler designed for precise delivery of cannabis molecules and other medicinal plant molecules. The company raised $80 million to date and will soon distribute its products in Israel via Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd.

Both doctors prescribing medical cannabis to patients and the patients themselves face a dilemma regarding the best method for delivery, Davidson said. Syqe Medical was founded to answer that need, he said, developing a previously nonexistent technology in the market.

When the company started, they managed to extract homogenous concentrations of the active ingredient and meet pharmaceutical standards, Davidson said, but found many of their patients had a problem keeping their inhales consistent, inevitably affecting the medication's concentration. "So we developed technology that enabled us to measure cannabis doses."

Doctors could not tell Syqe the correct dose for one inhale, Davidson explained, leading the company on a four-year journey to create a treatment program for that specific purpose. "What we discovered is that cannabis is not measured in grams but in micrograms."

The starting dose is 250 micrograms, said Davidson, which is what their soon-to-be-available inhalers will contain.