After an exciting and lengthy preparatory phase, the time had come on July 16, 2020: The government of Upper Bavaria granted Bavaria Weed GmbH the manufacturing permit in accordance with Section 13 AMG. In the past 24 months, the company also succeeded in obtaining EU GMP certification for its Canadian supplier Natural MedCo Ltd. to obtain. As a result, Bavaria Weed GmbH can now import, store, pack and distribute cannabis flowers from its certified partner. "The granting of the manufacturing permit is an important milestone for us in opening up the German market," announced Stefan Langer, co-founder of Bavaria Weed GmbH and responsible for the Leipheim production site. "As soon as the German authorities give their permission, the first import can take place and sales can start. The receipt and dispatch of the first goods are therefore imminent. "
Since March 2017, cannabis has also been available on prescription in Germany under certain conditions. "More and more patients are switching to alternative medicinal products such as medicinal cannabis when none of the common alternatives have so far provided any relief," says Langer. Its many uses mean that more and more doctors are prescribing cannabis as a medicine. In the period from January to March 2020, the number of medical prescriptions rose to 78,232 - that is about 20,000 more than in the previous year. "In addition to the considerable medical benefits of this natural product for patients, it was important for us as a lead investor to support a leading player in this enormous growth market," said Heiner Pollert, CEO of the Patentpool Group.
In this country, companies cannot easily start importing and selling cannabis. This process is linked to compliance with strict regulations and approval by the Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (BfArM) and the monitoring authorities of the individual federal states. “At the moment, only cannabis grown abroad is sold in German pharmacies. This means that delivery takes up to four weeks and there are only a few varieties to choose from. It is therefore safe to say that the German market is currently severely undersupplied, ”explains Langer. So far, German patients and pharmacies have had to wait a long time for the drug and their choices are also limited. With the direct import, Bavaria Weed GmbH wants to offer more flexibility and reliability for GMP-certified packaging on site and direct sales. In this way, Bavaria Weed GmbH guarantees a higher availability of different varieties and a more reliable market supply in the future.
A former bunker in Leipheim, Bavaria, acts as the focal point of the company. "Our company is an ideal high-security warehouse for storing raw materials. Large quantities of cannabis flowers can be processed in our ultra-modern production rooms in the clean room," explains Langer. Bavaria Weed GmbH obtains the raw material from its carefully selected manufacturer. "Thanks to a sophisticated logistics concept and a very high degree of automation, the finished product will reach the pharmacies within one, at most two days after ordering," says Langer. The aim of the company is to ensure the continuous supply of medical cannabis that is compliant with the medical book. For this purpose, Bavaria Weed GmbH acts as an importer, supplier and distributor.