Canadian medical cannabis producer Tilray has received the necessary approvals to export medical cannabis to New Zealand, and will supply Auckland’s Middlemore Hospital with cannabis oils containing both THC and CBD.
The approval by Canadian and New Zealand regulators expands Tilray’s international reach – last year they became the first company to legally export medicinal cannabis products from North America to the European Union and Australia. They were also the first North American medical cannabis producer to be certified under the European Medicines Agency’s Good Manufacturing Practice standards. This year, the company is eyeing export deals with additional European countries and in Latin America.
“We are proud to be able to offer patients in need access to high-quality, pharmaceutical-grade medical cannabis products,” Tilray President Brendan Kennedy said in a press release.
Last June, the company announced a deal to export medical cannabis products to Croatia. Their products are also being used in a New South Wales, Australia government-led study focused on using medical cannabis therapies to treat and prevent vomiting and nausea from chemotherapy; and another trial using Tilray products – focused on Dravet syndrome – conducted by Toronto’s Children’s Hospital is set to begin this year.
The first shipment of Tilray products to New Zealand is expected to arrive by the end of the month.