Ireland: Canadian cannabis giant Aurora gets government approval to supply medical cannabis to pilot scheme

Canadian cannabis giant Aurora has received approval from the Irish government for its High CBD Oil Drops, a medical cannabis product.

The pharmaceutical-grade CBD oil has been added to a regulatory schedule by the Irish Minister of Health, which will enable the importation, prescription and supply of the extract under the nation’s pilot scheme.

Ireland’s Minister of Health, Simon Harris.

The Medical Cannabis Access Programme was signed into law in June 2019 by Health Minister, Simon Harris.

The programme is aimed at facilitating access to cannabis-based medical products in line with legislation in the Republic of Ireland and is scheduled to run for five years (until at least the summer of 2024).

Under the scheme, a consultant can prescribe medical cannabis to:

1. MS patients suffering from spasticity

2. Cancer patients experiencing intractable nausea and vomiting associated with chemotherapy

3. Patients of treatment-resistant epilepsy

Aurora is the second government-authorised supplier of medical cannabis oil in Ireland, the first being Australian bio-pharma company MGC Pharmaceuticals. 

In a press release on December 2, Dr Shane Morris, Chief Product Officer at Aurora said,

“Aurora is pleased to be able to assist patients who are seeking treatment with high quality EU-GMP (good manufacturing practice) certified pharmaceutical-grade medical cannabis in Ireland.

“We are very proud to be one of the first approved suppliers of medical cannabis under the MCAP.”