What is good for Aurora is good for RTI EDMONTON, April 5, 2019 /PRNewswire/ - Aurora Cannabis Inc. ("Aurora" or the "Company") (TSX: ACB) (NYSE: ACB) (Frankfurt: 21P; WKN: A1C4WM) announced today that the Company has been selected by the German Bundesinstitut fr Arzneimittel und Medizinprodukte BfArM (Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices) as one of three winners in the public tender to cultivate and distribute medical cannabis in Germany. The contract will be formalized at the earliest on April 17, 2019, pending the outcome of an appeal procedure on which a ruling is anticipated by April 10, 2019.
The tender saw 79 companies participating, with the winners able to establish production in Germany upon the completion of the contract associated with the tender. The selection process was based on the submission of a concept for domestic cannabis production, delivery and pricing. Aurora's concept, judged on criteria such as facility design, quality, security and logistics, received the highest ranking out of all concepts submitted, validating the Company's leadership in integrated cultivation, production and delivery.
The Company was awarded the maximum number of 5 of the 13 lots in the tender over a period of four years with a minimum supply of 4000kg total. The cannabis produced will be sold to the German government and supplied to wholesalers for distribution to pharmacies.
"We are very proud to have been selected as one of only three companies by the German government, which is a great achievement by our team," said Neil Belot, Chief Global Business Development Officer. "Having the highest rated concept is a strong validation of the Aurora Standard cultivation philosophy, as well as of our track record in the delivery of safe and high-quality medical cannabis products to the German system. We commenced delivering dried cannabis flower from Canada to the German market in 2017, and recently added cannabis extracts to our offerings for German patients. Winning the tender reflects a natural evolution for Aurora, establishing a more prominent local footprint in this important international market with over 82 million people."
Dr. Florian Holzapfel of Aurora Deutschland GmbH, added, "Being one of the winners in this tender reflects our ability to work with international governments and establish ourselves as a trusted partner in multiple global jurisdictions. Upon finalization of the allotment we will commence with our project to construct a state-of-the-art cannabis production facility to further service German patients with safe, high-quality cannabis."
Facility
The Company's concept focused on the construction of a highly secure, state-of-the-art, EU GMP compliant indoor cultivation facility with flexibility for future growth. The new facility will be located at the industrial park in Leuna, Saxony Anhalt, near Leipzig. The Leuna industrial park provides all required industrial and logistical infrastructure required for the operation of the facility, with a considerable labour market to draw from. The facility is designed to have capacity in excess of the tendered amounts to provide flexibility in meeting future growth.