The Canadian firm Zenabis announced on Friday that its Maltese joint venture, ZenPharm Limited, has received its final licence requirement under Malta’s regulatory framework, allowing it to commence commercial shipments to the European Union.

The issuance of the Medicinal Cannabis Licence follows the receipt of the European Union Good Manufacturing Practices certification issued by Malta Medicines Authority in January 2021.

The first market ZenPharm is expected to export to is Germany, where the company has an executed supply agreement with a German-based customer to supply a minimum volume of 500 kg per year.

ZenPharm will also be launching finished cannabis products under its own brand for distribution within the Maltese medicinal cannabis market, with similar entry into the Polish market expected in Q1 2022.

ZenPharm CEO Angele Azzopardi said: “Whilst ZenPharm GMP Certificate solidified ZenPharm's position within Zenabis' strategy for global outreach, the achievement of the Medicinal Cannabis License is instrumental for the joint venture's vision by way of effective implementation.”

She continued, “We are incredibly proud of the team's relentless efforts and dedication. The attainment of this License continues to showcase Malta's regulatory gold standard in assuring the highest quality in medicinal cannabis products".

Minister for Energy, Enterprise and Sustainable Development Miriam Dalli said, “This announcement is another milestone in the establishment of Malta's Medical Cannabis industry.”

She said that the initial enabling legislation had led to the attraction of a number of companies, with a number of startups also currently looking at Malta to establish their RDI operations.

“This forms part of our wider offering as a jurisdiction for activities related to the production of pharmaceuticals, medical devices, medtech, and life sciences, fields which all offer quality employment opportunities and an added value to our economy," Minister Dalli said.

Parliamentary Secretary Deo Debattista, who is responsible for the Malta Medicines Authority, explained how this license is an essential milestone for establishing cannabis for medical use in the pharmaceutical industry.

By producing this medicine as per the EU-GMP standards, he said, Malta would be guaranteeing that patients are receiving products originating from the scientific advancements in medical cannabis which are of the highest quality, the most secure, and effective on the market.

In December 2020, the Malta Medicines Authority had also issued a license for the production of medical cannabis to another Canadian company, Aphria.

Meanwhile, last month, Israeli company TechforCann announced that it will be establishing the first European tech accelerator for the medical cannabis industry, in Malta. This project was also supported by Malta Enterprise through funding that will help startups which are selected to participate in the TechforCannEU accelerator programme.

About

Zenabis is a leading Canadian licensed cultivator of cannabis for medical and recreational use. Zenabis employs staff coast-to-coast, with three licenced Canadian facilities in Atholville, New Brunswick; Langley, British Columbia; and Stellarton, Nova Scotia. Zenabis serves international markets directly and in partnership with its joint venture, ZenPharm operating from Birżebbuġa, Malta. Zenabis distributes cannabis products and derivatives under the Zenabis, Namaste and Re-Up brand names.

ZenPharm Limited, headquartered in Malta, is a fully licensed EU-cGMP pharmaceutical company that specialises in medicinal cannabis. ZenPharm is focused on building pharmaceutical expertise that predominately concerns the processing of cannabis into finished dosage form products that are both conventional and innovative in their delivery systems.