Tilray subsidiary Aphria obtains new medical cannabis production license in Germany

Aphria RX, a subsidiary of‘The Canadian company Tilray based in Neumünster, Germany, announced on Monday that it had received a license to cultivate medical cannabis under the new german cannabis law effective April 1.

Aphria already had a license to grow medical cannabis in Germany, obtained in May 2019, and limited to the production of a total of five batches (1,000 kilograms). It was also the only producer authorized in Germany to grow the three varieties of medical cannabis approved by the German Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (BfArM).

In addition to Tilray, Canadian cannabis company Aurora and German company Demecan have been authorized since 2019 to cultivate a combined total of 10,400 kg of medical cannabis in Germany.

Aphria a merged with Tilray in 2021.

New provisions for medical cannabis

The new law, approved on February 23, Among other things, it removed cannabis from the list of narcotics, legalized possession by adults of up to 25 grams, authorized cannabis cultivation clubs - one of them has already received authorization - and amended the German Medical Cannabis Act (MedCanG).

Amendments to the MedCanG now allow companies wishing to cultivate medical cannabis in Germany:

• to «market and distribute their harvest themselves», but will be subject to inspections by BfArM and other authorities.
• continue to obtain authorization from BfArM, without having to comply with or follow the European Union's «tendering procedure
• continue to meet the quality requirements set by pharmaceutical legislation, including Good Agricultural and Collection Practices (GACP), Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) and Good Distribution Practices (GDP)

The license obtained by Aphria now allows the company to «cultivate and manufacture a wide commercial range of medical cannabis, offering patients greater access to high-quality medical cannabis produced in Germany», according to the release.

Aphria will considerably increase its production capacity, expanding its varieties from three to 31.

Irwin Simon, CEO of Tilray, said in a conference call on April 9 that, although the new cannabis law does not create a commercial recreational market, The new opportunities for Tilray stem mainly from the removal of medical cannabis from the Narcotics Law.

«This classification change should considerably expand the medical cannabis market in Germany, he continued, because it would make it easier for more doctors to prescribe medical cannabis to patients and could allow for broader health insurance coverage.»