New Platform Launched to Import Medical Cannabis Across Europe
The first platform to facilitate the licensed importation of medical cannabis into Europe has formally launched in the UK.
Astral Health will act as a gateway to the European cannabis market, providing a simple and efficient system for the licensed import and distribution of approved medical cannabis products. German, Italian, French and Spanish market announcements will follow over the coming weeks.
The company will provide European patients living with a range of chronic and debilitating conditions with lifechanging access to medical cannabis products by offering a streamlined end-to-end system for bringing products into the market. Its services include support on market access, approvals and navigating the regulatory system, as well as education, training and intelligence.
The launch of the end-to-end platform follows the formation of a new UK joint venture between ECH and Miller & Miller Chemicals Ltd., a pharmaceutics and medical equipment company.
ECH recently opened the Medical Cannabis Clinics, Britain’s first chain of specialist medical cannabis clinics in the UK. Despite the country’s recent legalization of medical cannabis, only a handful of prescriptions have been written to date - with the vast majority originating through the Medical Cannabis Clinics.
Working in close contact with ECH’s chief medical officer, Professor Mike Barnes, Miller & Miller fulfilled the first medical cannabis prescription in the UK for patient Carly Barton in December and the landmark prescription for seven-year-old epilepsy sufferer Alfie Dingley, which was written by Prof Barnes.
ECH are also planning a number of licensed producers of EU GMP certified pharma grade cannabis products ready to import across Europe. They hope the launch of Astral Health will further facilitate market access and transform Europe’s growing medical cannabis infrastructure.
Dean Friday, ECH CFO and director, said: “The launch of Astral Health is a pioneering step forward that will support increased market access to medical cannabis across Europe. The legalisation of prescription cannabis in the UK has given people with chronic illnesses hope; the next step is to ensure the availability of this medication to those who need it. By facilitating the licensed import of approved medical cannabis products on an ongoing contractual basis through Astral Health, that’s what we are working to achieve.”
John Miller of Miller & Miller, said: “I am delighted to formalise our relationship with ECH to launch this important new platform, which will help patients access the best medical cannabis products on the market by streamlining the process for bringing them into different countries. Astral Health is a key step to transforming the medical cannabis landscape around Europe.”
