KINGSTON, Jamaica — Minister of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries, Audley Shaw, has lauded the development of another drug by noted researcher Dr Henry Lowe, who was granted Orphan Drug Status by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in September for the drug Caflanone for the treatment of pancreatic cancer.

Speaking at the Caribbean International Network’s (CIN) Lecture Series at the Schomburg Centre for Research in Black Culture in New York on Wednesday, Shaw noted that Jamaica is positioning itself to be a leader in clinical trials for pain and reduction of the opioid crisis currently gripping the United States (US).

Caflanone is derived from an endemic strain of cannabis sativa found in Jamaica and is now available for clinical studies, which Shaw urged Lowe to spearhead in Jamaica.

Jamaica has also partnered with the Harvard International Phytomedicines and Medical Cannabis Institute (IPI) for the creation of the Jamaica Phytomedicine Institute aimed at deepening scientific research on medicinal plants found in Jamaica.

 The partnership will assist Jamaica to improve its competitiveness in this global industry, given that Jamaica’s plant life is recognised as containing 50 per cent of plants known globally to contain medicinal properties, with 33 per cent of that number being unique to Jamaica.

Shaw also acknowledged the work of Tree of Knowledge International Corp, a publicly traded company in Canadian and the United States which will be introducing chronic pain management protocols and research into the Caribbean market with special focus on the unique medicinal plants in Jamaica.