Sativex is also protected by a number of other patents related to different aspects of the product.
GW chairman Geoffrey Guy said the grant of this patent is part of a matrix of intellectual property rights which continue to be developed by GW, comprising patents, plant variety rights and proprietary know-how, devised to provide extended protection of Sativex and the cannabinoid pipeline.
In Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, New Zealand, Spain and the UK, Sativex is approved for the treatment of Multiple Sclerosis spasticity.
The company concluded that the product is in Phase III clinical development as a treatment for cancer pain.