NZ Herald
A South Waikato medicinal cannabis company has reached another high point, becoming the first in the country to export cannabis-based active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) to Australia.
Cannasouth sent its first API shipment to Australian pharmaceutical company Novachem two weeks ago.
The distribution agreement with Novachem allows for the distribution of Cannasouth’s active ingredient cannabinoids and finished products to Australian manufacturers, pharmacies and patients.
Cannasouth chief executive Mark Lucas said APIs differed from previous flower exports.
“Exported flower serves as a starting material that requires additional processing steps abroad. To be used in oral dosage forms like oils, the cannabinoids in the flower must be extracted and purified. In contrast, a GMP-certified [good management practice] API can be immediately used as a key ingredient in medicinal cannabis products.
“Following our first commercial export of cannabis flower to Australia in June, we’re now making significant strides in the Australian medicinal cannabis market by expanding our product offering with the supply of high purity, verified pharmaceutical CBD ingredients.”
