Portugal-based Somai Pharmaceuticals has announced plans to enter the Australian market, bringing a line of vape and oil products to the country through a partnership with US cannabis technology company Airo Brands.
Operating out of a 3,800 square metre facility near Lisbon, Somai will serve as the exclusive manufacturer of Airo's vaporiser battery technologies and AiroPod oil formulations, with initial products anticipated to reach patients through the Special Access Scheme during the second quarter of the year.
The products will also be made available across Germany, Poland and Switzerland.
Founded in 2017, Airo has products on shelves in more than 1,700 licensed medical and adult-use cannabis dispensaries spanning 23 US states, as well as Puerto Rico.
For Somai — a company active in extraction, research, development, formulation and distribution of EU-GMP pharmaceutical cannabis products — the Airo range is expected to be the first of a broader portfolio it will bring to the Australian market.
Somai founder and chief executive, Michael Sassano, said the collaboration will put Airo "ahead of the crowd in global expansion".
"Our Airo product offerings will have a global reach with EU-GMP quality standards, and as global markets expand, we will be positioning the full line of Airo products far into the future," he said. "Europe and other continents are moving forward, and we are proud to bring the best vaporisers to the global markets."
Airo chief executive Richard Yost described the partnership as a "milestone".
"It was important to find a partner who shared our commitment to quality and focus on the consumer. We found that with Somai," he said.
"We were not only impressed with their state-of-the-art Portugal facility, but also with the quality of their team. It's a great match."
