Lesotho-based cultivator and manufacturer of medicinal cannabis flower, extracts and oils, MG Health, on Thursday announced it had received official confirmation that its manufacturing processes were aligned with the EU’s good manufacturing practice standards.
Fewer than 20 companies worldwide have achieved this certification of trust. MG Health is the first manufacturer in Africa able to export medicinal cannabis flower as an active pharmaceutical ingredient to the EU.
MG Health is licensed to cultivate and manufacture pharmaceutical grade cannabis extracts and products for the emerging medical cannabis industry. Cannabis is used in the production of an array of products including hand sanitisers.
The ethanol is infused with cannabis-derived terpenes to make it smell good. A producer might then add aloe to improve the smell of the sanitiser.
The good manufacturing practice guidelines state the minimum requirements that a manufacturer must meet to assure that their products are consistently high in quality, from batch to batch, for their intended use.
The confirmation of EU good manufacturing practice compliance for MG Health was granted by the government of the Upper Bavaria district in Germany after a request for import was made by Drapalin Pharmaceuticals — a licensed importer and distributor based in Munich and the strategic partner of MG Health in Germany.
“What it means is that we have authorisation to export our products as an active pharmaceutical ingredient into Germany and the wider European market,” MG Health CEO Andre Bothma said.
Germany has among the most stringent pharmaceutical requirements for medical cannabis in the EU.
“They treat cannabis in the same manner as pharmaceutical products and narcotics. So it’s not as simple as being licensed and producing your own cannabis with a good test result and shipping it in,” said MG Health business development officer Luke van der Nest.
“They’re one of the strictest regulators. We wanted to find the most stringent standards and make sure that we adhere to those, to generate that global confidence for patients, prescribing doctors and everyone else along the supply chain,” he said.
MG Health might export cannabis flower to other EU countries in the future but it would have to clear certain regulations and legal rules.
Situated two and a half hours from the capital city, Maseru, MG Health Lesotho, formerly Medigrow, was granted a licence to operate in early 2017. It was founded by Bothma, a third-generation citizen of Lesotho with more than 25 years of experience in the construction and property development industry. MG Health employs almost 300 people.
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