GW jumps 16.6% on strong Sativex findings

Shares in GW Pharmaceuticals jumped 16.6% to 44 pence on February 24, after the UK drugmaker reported strong data with its lead product  candidate, the cannabis-based mouth spray Sativex, in multiple sclerosis  spasticity.

In the 36-patient study, the prospectively-defined primary efficacy  endpoint - the time to treatment failure - was statistically significant  in favor of Sativex (p=0.013).

In addition, the difference between the treatment and placebo cohorts  was also significant for the patient global impression of change  (p=0.017) and the carer functional-ability global impression of change  (p=0.001), meaning that carers recognized that the patient's spasticity  became worse when they stopped taking Sativex, which GW says provides  independent verification of the primary endpoint.