Marinol

Marinol is the originator brand name for dronabinol oral capsules (2.5 mg, 5 mg, 10 mg) formulated in sesame oil within a soft gelatin shell. The FDA approved Marinol on May 31, 1985 for chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting in patients who have failed conventional antiemetic therapy, with a 1992 supplemental approval for anorexia associated with weight loss in patients with AIDS. The drug is now marketed in the United States by AbbVie. Marinol has been a Schedule III controlled substance since July 2, 1999, when the DEA accepted an FDA recommendation that the sesame-oil capsule formulation limited abuse potential relative to other THC products (64 FR 35928). Oral bioavailability is low and variable (approximately 10–20%) due to extensive first-pass metabolism, and clinical onset typically occurs 30 minutes to 2 hours after ingestion. Marinol is distinct from both plant-derived cannabis and from Syndros, the oral-solution dronabinol product that remains Schedule II. → See also: Dronabinol, Syndros.