Helius Therapeutics has been awarded Good Agricultural and Collection Practice (GACP) certification for its medicinal cannabis facility located in East Auckland, New Zealand.
GACP sets out the minimum standards growers must meet to produce high-quality, consistent flower.
Chief executive Carmen Doran described the achievement as "another key milestone" for the company as it works toward full site certification and prepares to launch its export strategy.
Helius has identified Europe and South America as its priority export markets, and the company is continuing to attract investment to accelerate its growth plans both domestically and internationally.
Doran added: "This certification reinforces that Helius is a medicines company first and foremost. We are unleashing the power of cannabis to improve lives. Our research team's primary focus is to unlock the global potential of medical-grade cannabis therapeutics, developed from New Zealand."
Helius recently became the first medicinal cannabis company in New Zealand to have an active ingredient made from locally grown cannabis plants and extracted in NZ verified by the Medicinal Cannabis Agency as meeting the quality standard.
Little Green Pharma
Little Green Pharma has addressed the gap created by a terminated supply agreement with Four 20 Pharma by signing a two-year contract with another German operator, Cannamedical.
LGP issued a notice of default to Four 20 Pharma following the breakdown of a deal to supply a high-THC SMS strain for distribution across Europe.
Cannamedical has now entered its second contract with LGP, building on an earlier agreement announced in October.
"The agreement enables the supply of the LGP's SMS product into the German market in lieu of supply under the terminated Four 20 Pharma supply agreement," LGP said in a statement. "The speed of substitution [demonstrates] the desirability of the SMS strain and benefit of LGP's broad distribution partner base in Europe."
Under the terms of the agreement, LGP is permitted to deliver non-irradiated product as an alternative to irradiated product. The company is aiming to complete its first shipment to Cannamedical during the first quarter of 2023.
Exclusivity under the deal is contingent on Cannamedical ordering specified minimum quantities every six months.
LGP said the agreement could generate more than A$4.5 million over the two-year period.
MGC Pharmaceuticals
MGC Pharma has had a peer-reviewed academic paper on its glioblastoma research published by MDPI.
Produced through a collaboration between the European-based pharmaceutical company and Slovenia's National Institute of Biology, the research examined the effects of CBD and CBG extracts on glioblastoma (GBM) cells.
The findings identified GPR55 and TRPV1 receptors as the most effective targets for antagonistic cannabinoids — delivered in an optimised mixture — to eliminate GBM stem cells.
MGC Pharma noted that the approach does not involve THC — which can be particularly harmful in older GBM patients — and that further testing in animal experiments and clinical trials is warranted.
Glioblastoma is a fast-growing and aggressive form of cancer that typically originates in the brain. At present, only 5–10% of patients survive more than five years following diagnosis.
The article, published as a molecular cancer biology research paper, is open access and can be downloaded here.
Incannex Healthcare
Incannex has submitted a provisional patent application covering the use of its cannabinoid combination drug IHL-42X in the treatment of obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA).
The filing is part of the company's broader commercial strategy to build a patent position spanning the development, manufacture, and use of its drug candidates.
IHL-42X combines THC and acetazolamide. Prior research by Incannex demonstrated that the two drugs work together to reduce the Apnea Hypopnea Index (AHI) in patients with OSA.
The company has engaged Monash University associate professor of physiology Dr Brad Edwards to conduct a further assessment of polysomnography data from a phase II proof-of-concept clinical trial of the drug.
Working alongside principal investigator Dr Jen Walsh and her team at the University of Western Australia, Dr Edwards and his team have been able to characterise the effects of IHL-42X on the different underlying causes of OSA.
IHL-42X was found to have a dose-dependent effect on loop gain, with a low dose producing a statistically significant improvement in airway collapsibility.
Incannex managing director Joel Latham said: "Incannex works closely with its patent attorneys to build upon its competitive position through the ongoing development of intellectual property assets.
"Our intention is to build patent families around our drug candidates as we learn more about them through our research and development programs undertaken by our dedicated scientific teams."
