Avecho Biotechnology Limited announced it has begun participation in running observational study of medicinal cannabis products, the CA Clinics Observational Study (CACOS). Avecho will test the performance of its enhanced oral cannabidiol (CBD) TPM formulation in human patients being prescribed medicinal cannabis for a range of indications. Avecho's oral CBD TPM formulation has been shown to increase the oral bioavailability of CBD in animal models and will be tested for the first time in humans in the CACOS study. The company aims to gather real world feedback on how the product performs in patients currently utilising medicinal cannabis therapy across a range of indications. Performance will be compared against commonly prescribed CBD formulations. Recruitment for the study will begin immediately, and continue on an ongoing basis throughout 2021 to maximize the number of patients dosed with both the CBD TPM and commercial comparator formulations. The CACOS study aims to recruit a total of 3,000 patients nationwide through a network of medicinal cannabis prescribing clinics and will utilise questionnaires to examine the side effects, dosage response, and treatment satisfaction of medicinal cannabis formulations on patients' health status. Data generated will help shape the future development and clinical indications for the company's pharmaceutical CBD products, whilst also exploring the potential for SAS-B prescribing. Increasing the absorption of cannabinoids will allow for differentiated cannabinoid products on market, with greater therapeutic potential and/or reduced cost to patients, which is timely given the changing regulatory landscape for these products in Australia. Earlier this month, the TGA made its down-scheduling of CBD official. In the future, registered CBD products with a maximum dose of 150 mg/day may be available to purchase directly from a pharmacist without a prescription. The CACOS study forms the companion piece to a Phase I clinical trial currently scheduled to begin toward the end of First Quarter 2021. The Phase I trial will assess the absorption of CBD from the Avecho product. Together, the data from these studies will direct the pharmaceutical CBD TPM formulation towards the most appropriate clinical indications for product registration.