Did You Know?
In 2016, the Australian federal government passed legislation authorising a range of cannabis-based medicines to be prescribed to patients by registered healthcare professionals.
Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) enables doctors to access medicinal cannabis products for their patients where clinically appropriate. The current system allows any registered health professional to prescribe medicinal cannabis either through the Special Access Scheme (SAS) or the Authorised Prescriber Scheme (APS). Up until February 2021, 99,000 Special Access Scheme Category B (SAS-B) applications had been approved.
Read below for more information on Tetra Health’s Services.
Tetra Health Services
Tetra Health is a trusted Australian based clinic network led by a collaborative team of medical professionals. Tetra has a team of specialist Authorised Prescribers that will assess a patient’s medical condition to determine if medicinal cannabis might be an appropriate treatment, and support that patient’s treatment via Tetra’s team of specialist nurses.
Medical practitioners who may not wish to prescribe medicinal cannabis can easily refer their patients to Tetra Health for assessment.
Tetra Health’s medical team are experts in prescribing and follow all TGA and State guidelines when considering medical cannabis as a potential treatment option for patients.
Patient safety is our priority. All patients are screened for contraindications and potential drug interactions, and titration is based around safe and controlled administration. Our medical team closely monitors patients for adverse events while working towards positive treatment outcomes.
Refer your patient below and a Tetra nurse will contact your patient within 24 hours. Our medical team will provide you with ongoing progress reports to ensure both you and your patients are supported throughout this process.
Questions? Contact our medical team on 1800-861-099 or [email protected] to learn more.
There are no restrictions on the medical conditions for which a prescriber may apply via the Special Access Scheme (SAS) to access medicinal cannabis for their patient, as long as the prescriber has the appropriate knowledge on the condition being treated and on the product they wish to prescribe. Supporting evidence may be requested by the TGA for some novel indications, and in some cases, evidence of specialist support from a practitioner with appropriate expertise may also be requested.
Patient Support
A Tetra Nurse is assigned to your patient providing essential continuing care, including dosing and titration support, adverse event monitoring, personalised treatment plans, and access through a telephone support line.
Coordinated Care
You remain the primary caregiver, while we work with you to achieve positive patient outcomes, ensuring you receive regular progress reports including clinically validated outcome reporting.
Product Agnostic
Our doctors maintain clinical independence and prescribe many different types of medications available in Australia. Every patient receives personalised treatment at Tetra Health.
There are no restrictions on the medical conditions for which a prescriber may apply to access medicinal cannabis for their patient, as long as the prescriber has the appropriate knowledge on the condition being treated and on the medicinal cannabis product they wish to prescribe.
What is Medicinal Cannabis?
The cannabis plant has been utilised for its medicinal properties for centuries. It produces more than 700 active ingredients, and over 100 of those are cannabinoids. Cannabinoids are a diverse group of compounds which act via humans’ own cannabis pathways called the Endocannabinoid System (ECS). The ECS is responsible for regulating appetite, sleep, metabolism, modulation of pain, muscle function and the immune system. You can read more about the Endocannabinoid System here (link to ECS blog).
The most widely studied cannabinoids are THC and CBD. THC and CBD interact with the body’s Endocannabinoid System.
Clinical evidence has shown that THC may be effective for:
- nausea and vomiting1-5
- chronic pain 6-14
- sleep disorders 11, 15, 16
- PTSD 16-19
- spasticity 20,21
- and more
Clinical evidence has shown that CBD may be effective for:
- chronic pain 1, 37, 38
- seizure management 22-30
- sleep disorders 39-42
- anxiety 31-36
- autism spectrum disorder 43-47
The different combinations of these compounds in cannabis medications have a wide range of effects on our individual endocannabinoid systems. For more information: read more about THC and CBD, view references for the above or explore the TGA published medicinal cannabis guidance documents.
Contact Tetra
Use our Contact Form to enquire about joining the Tetra Health Doctor Network.
To refer a patient, please use the Referral Option above.