NANAIMO, British Columbia -- Tilray, a global leader in medical cannabis research and production, announced that Tilray medical cannabis products have been successfully exported to New Zealand and are now available for distribution nationwide. The products were produced at Tilray’s federally licensed, Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP)-certified facility in Canada and can be dispensed to any patient with valid approval under New Zealand law, according to a press release.
“We are proud to offer New Zealand patients access to quality-controlled, pharmaceutical-grade medical cannabis products,” said Brendan Kennedy, Tilray President. “With Tilray products available in six countries representing four continents, we further our global mission of serving patients in need in a timeframe that matters.”
Tilray has signed an agreement with a leading New Zealand pharmaceutical distributor to supply pharmacies across the country with medical cannabis products. Products currently available in New Zealand include precisely formulated medical cannabis oils containing tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD).
Earlier this year, Tilray announced that it had successfully exported its first New Zealand-bound shipment of medical cannabis products to Middlemore Hospital in Auckland. In addition to New Zealand, Tilray serves tens of thousands of authorized patients in North America, South America, Europe and Australia, where the company is able to supply medical cannabis products to authorized patients in every state and territory.
Tilray became the first medical cannabis producer in North America to be GMP-certified in December 2016. GMP certification is the most rigorous standard that manufacturers of medical products must meet in their production processes, and it provides regulators and health care providers in countries new to medical cannabis with certainty that Tilray products are a safe and smart choice.
GMP certification is enabling Tilray to expand international distribution of its products for commercial, clinical research and compassionate access purposes. In 2016, Tilray made history by becoming the first company to legally export medical cannabis products from North America to Australia, Europe and South America.
Tilray is also committed to advancing the science and safety of medical cannabis products by supporting clinical research. In Australia, Tilray has partnered with the University of Sydney and New South Wales Government to study medical cannabis as a treatment for symptoms of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting. In Canada, Tilray supports additional trials focused on pediatric epilepsy at SickKids Hospital, post-traumatic stress disorder at the University of British Columbia and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease at McGill University Research Centre.
