NVLX: Broader Medical Marijuana Research Forges Ahead

On April 30, 2013, Goldman Small Cap Research published an Article on Nuvilex, Inc. (OTCQB – NVLX).  For your convenience, a copy of the article can be found below.

Please click here to see previous NVLX reports for relevant disclosures and disclaimer. This article was paid for by a third party.

 

Broader Medical Marijuana Research Forges Ahead

By virtually all accounts, the latest studies, surveys and data are illustrating that the trend toward a broader engagement of medical marijuana research is clearly moving ahead.  This shift bodes extremely well for companies in the medical marijuana research segment, such as Nuvilex, Inc. (OTCQB – NVLX.) Frankly, the truth is evident in the numbers.

According to the latest Pew Research Center Poll, 52% of Americans favor the legalization of marijuana. Even more telling, fully 72% believe that the Federal Government is simply wasting taxpayers’ dollars in the prohibition of marijuana.  Two states have fully legalized marijuana, 18 states allow its use for medical reasons and 17 have legislation pending to legalize it.  By the November 2013 midterm elections, legalization of marijuana for medical reasons will be a mere formality. 

For the uninitiated that still hold to the misguided belief that toxicity in cannabinoids is greater than approved drugs, there are some startling statistics that illustrate the need for major change in how oncology treatments are performed, which also happens to sit firmly in Nuvilex’s wheelhouse.

According to a study by the University of Chicago, one-third of chemotherapies are used off-label. In other words, 1 in 3 chemotherapy treatments is used to treat cancers in which the FDA never approved to treat.  Such steps can jeopardize the health and safety of the cancer patients and cannot be properly measured by any risk/benefit analysis.  An estimated $12 billion was spent on chemotherapies in 2010, with up to $4 billion on off-label use. Clearly, as the numbers bear out, physicians are scrambling to seek complementary alternatives to be used in conjunction with or instead of FDA-approved therapies that may not be working alone.

Nuvilex’s subsidiary, Medical Marijuana Sciences, Inc., builds upon the Company’s many years of experience in developing “all-natural” products for various uses by studying the medical applications of marijuana (Cannabis sativa) and developing treatments for serious human diseases. The components of marijuana that have shown medical activity are broadly known as “cannabinoids.”  In a number of studies, cannabinoids have demonstrated an ability to act as an anticancer agent. One way that cannabinoids appear to kill cancer cells is by binding to specific “receptors” on the surface of cells; these receptors are normally involved in the binding of endocannabinoids (cannabinoid-like substances that occur naturally in the body).  Following this binding, the cannabinoids cause the cells to go through a variety of processes that ultimately lead to cell death (apoptosis).

Leveraging the use of the Nuvilex’s successful live cell-encapsulation technology to treat certain cancers in clinical trials and other tests, the Company’s efforts are targeted towards developing treatments for some of the most difficult-to-treat forms of cancer. These include brain tumors, specifically gliomas (e.g. glioblastoma multiforme), and pancreatic cancer.

As the public clamors for better cancer treatment options, Nuvilex (OTCQB – NVLX) and other firms will progress on the development side and in the not-so-distant future the Company will commence human clinical trials using medical marijuana to treat cancer. These events will place Nuvilex (OTCQB – NVLX), at the forefront of both the medical marijuana and the oncology treatment arenas and could serve as one of the drivers that limit the off-label use of chemotherapy.