Aurora Exclusive Winner of First Italian Government Medical Aurora Cannabis Inc. ("Aurora") (TSX: ACB) (OTCQB: ACBFF) (Frankfurt: 21P; WKN: A1C4WM) today announced that, together with its wholly owned German subsidiary Pedanios GmbH, the Company has won a highly competitive EU-wide public tender to supply medical cannabis to the Italian government through the Ministry of Defence, who oversees medical cannabis production and distribution in Italy.
While the Italian Ministry of Defence currently produces medical cannabis for the domestic market, certain wholesalers are permitted to purchase directly from the Dutch Office of Medical Cannabis, a sharp rise in demand has led to the government seeking external parties to provide additional supply. The EU-wide public tender process consisted of 2 rounds. In the first round, those companies eligible to move towards the final tender round were pre-qualified. Only two companies, including Pedanios, qualified for this final round, in which Pedanios was ultimately chosen as the sole supplier under the tender. Following the signing of the contact in the coming days, Aurora will export product into Germany through Pedanios, who will supply the Italian market through the Ministry of Defence.
"I am very proud of Aurora and the Pedanios team for the quality of their execution in becoming the exclusive winner of this important tender, and gaining access to one of the largest and most restricted markets in Europe," said Neil Belot, Chief Global Business Development Officer. "Aurora will soon supply both Germany and Italy - two of the largest EU markets, with a total population exceeding 143 million. As the only company to have been successful in this tender, we have an incredible first mover advantage in this potentially tremendous growth market."
Andrea Ludwig Ferrari, responsible for sales and market development in Italy, added, "Aurora and Pedanios' EU GMP certifications were crucial in being successful in our bid for the tender in this demanding jurisdiction. We are now the first private cannabis company in the world able to supply the Italian government directly, a testament to the quality of our operations and the standing of our organization. This win positions us exceptionally well to continue executing successfully on our aggressive international expansion strategy."