CanniMed Therapeutics Inc. and PharmaChoice today signed a letter of intent to collaborate on the distribution, sale and marketing of medical cannabis products. The deal means Saskatchewan-based CanniMed – Canada’s first licensed producer for medicinal pot and the sole supplier to Health Canada for 13 years – will also be in charge of delivering accredited education programs to more than 700 pharmacies across the country.
The agreement is expected to be finalized within 60 days of the first legislation change that allows pharmacies to distribute medical cannabis.
“We are pleased that PharmaChoice recognizes the value of CanniMed’s core focus on professional education, our ability to produce standardized medical cannabis products in compliance with the government’s Good Manufacturing Practice standards, and our manufacturing capabilities to provide reliably safe products for our patients,” said CanniMed CEO Brent Zettl in a news release announcing the deal. “We believe that our industry is at the cusp of an important shift that will expand the role of pharmacists in counselling patients and dispensing medical cannabis products.”
PharmaChoice West CEO Grady Brown said that the dispensing of medical cannabis in Canadian pharmacies is a major step forward in the healthcare landscape.
“We recognize the incredible value medical cannabis has had on the lives of Canadians who have been prescribed the drug and found success in the therapy,” said Brown. “It’s important that we are well prepared to assist patients in achieving their therapeutic goals within the medical cannabis arena.”