The company set up a 20-person team to evaluate "compassionate use" requests from patients who faced imminent death.

FORBES: Cover Story

Enacted in January 2010, the New Jersey Compassionate Use Medical Marijuana Act allowed registered physicians to prescribe medical marijuana to patients with "debilitating medical conditions, " such as cancer and multiple sclerosis.

WSJ: New Jersey Medical Marijuana: Legal for Some, Pot Crops Up in N.J.

Mark Schoenebaum, a biotechnology analyst at Deutsche Bank, wrote in a note to investors that the company's sales guidance is "conservative" because it represents an increase of only 103 patients taking Lumizyme in addition to 170 who are already getting the drug as part of a compassionate use program.

FORBES: Magazine Article

AstraZeneca has also offered Iressa for free to more than 5, 000 patients through their oncologists in a compassionate-use program for lung cancer.

FORBES: A Homegrown Pipeline

Thanks to its compassionate-use program, though, AstraZeneca had extra help.

FORBES: Cover Story

Having used the conservative bit of his message to secure the loyalty of the party faithful, Mr Bush can now use the compassionate bit to reach out to the swing voters whose support wins elections.

ECONOMIST: The selling of a candidate

Compassionate conservatism also introduces fresh ideas about making more use of the private sector and churches in helping America's poor.

ECONOMIST: Is he ready?

He says that since the 1970s there has been a movement in the US advocating that marijuana should be legalised, which began with the medicinal use of the drug because it "was hard to argue against on compassionate grounds when people suffering from cancer and Aids might get relief from their pain".

BBC: US cannabis vote reignites call to legalise drugs

While recalling compassionate Conservatism, it also echoes the populism of the early American Progressives, who pledged to use government to improve the fortunes of the poor.

ECONOMIST: Bagehot