Canadian firm Tilray, Inc. has exported its first bulk shipment of medicinal cannabis oil to the United Kingdom, according to a press release from the company. The shipment comes after a controversy over another Tilray product led the U.K. government to approve the use of medical cannabis therapies for some seriously ill patients.
The medicine exported to the UK is an oral solution with both THC and CBD as active ingredients. The medication is used to treat pain, chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting, and multiple sclerosis-associated spasticity. Tilray produces the cannabis oil in Canada at a Good Manufacuting Practices (GMP) certified facility and has already completed bulk shipments of the drug to other European nations including Germany, Croatia, Cyprus, and Malta.
Catherine Jacobson, Tilray’s vice president of medical and regulatory affairs, said that importing the cannabis oil into the U.K. will create a more reliable and accessible source of medicine for patients.
“This bulk import of Tilray medical cannabis oral solutions provides patients in need access to a sustained supply of GMP-certified, high quality medical cannabis,” said Jacobson. “This is an important step in improving access in the U.K. Tilray will continue to advocate for reasonable patient access to medical cannabis in the U.K. and countries around the world.”
“This allows us to hold a reliable supply in the U.K. so we can avoid having to import on a per-patient basis, shortening the amount of time from prescription to the patient getting the product,” Jacobson added.
“If access is too difficult patients will just go to the black market,” she said. “We’ve seen that happen and it’s really dangerous for patients.”