A leading Canadian cannabis producer will be shipping some 500kg of the plant out of Malta ever year after it was given the go-ahead to start operating by local authorities.
Zenabis Global announced on Friday that its Maltese joint venture, ZenPharm Limited, has received its medicinal cannabis license from the Maltese regulatory authorities.
It plans to start shipping around half a ton of cannabis out of Malta annually, with its medicinal cannabis license allowing ZenPharm to commence commercial shipments to the EU, where Germany is ZenPharm's most prominent target market.
The company, which will operate from Ħal Far Industrial Estate, will not be growing cannabis locally. Instead, it will import cannabis from its Canadian partner Zenabis, process it locally and then export it to the EU and UK.
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 at the start of next year.
The company will be receiving shipments of up to 300kg from Zenabis' facility in Atholville, New Brunswick in Canada through the end of this calendar year and has negotiated a supply agreement with a German-based customer to supply it with a minimum volume of 500 kg per year.
The licensing requirement was first introduced last year.
Its approval follows on the earlier EU good manufacturing practices certification issued by Malta Medicines Authority in January 2021.
Chief Executive Officer of ZenPharm, Angele Azzopardi, said the license approval was instrumental for the joint venture.
“The attainment of this license continues to showcase Malta’s regulatory gold standard in assuring the highest quality in medicinal cannabis products,” she said.
Enterprise Minister Miriam Dalli hailed the development as a milestone in Malta’s medical cannabis industry.
The government, she said, wanted to grasp this opportunity and nurture it as a new economic niche for Malta.
Dalli said a number of other companies are being issued with production licenses following a thorough inspection by the Malta Medicines Authority.
Malta Enterprise, the national economic development agency which falls under Dalli’s portfolio, played a central role in helping the company set up their operation in Malta.
Parliamentary Secretary Deo Debattista, who is responsible for the Malta Medicines Authority, said the regulatory process was a rigorous one.
By producing this medicine in accordance with EU standards, 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 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.