Kiwi grown and made Cannabis medicines available for the first time

On 13 September, the Medicinal Cannabis Agency publicly advised that both Helius CBD25 Full Spectrum and Helius CBD100 Full Spectrum products had been verified as meeting the quality standard – a requirement under the 2019 regulations before producers can supply the New Zealand market.

This marks the first time that the vision of the Medicinal Cannabis Scheme, New Zealand grown and made medicines, has become a reality.

"It's a really, really big deal for NZ medicinal cannabis. This is the first time we have genuinely homegrown product," NZ Medicinal Cannabis Council executive director Sally King said.

The new products, manufactured by Helius in their state of the art GMP facility in Auckland follow on almost exactly 12 months after the company introduced the first ever Medical Cannabis products verified under the Medicinal Cannabis Scheme in October 2021.

“Gaining approval of medicinal cannabis products that are truly New Zealand-grown and made is a significant milestone for our industry and another first for Helius. Local patients and their advocates have fought long and hard for truly Kiwi products which are both high quality and cost-effective,” says Carmen Doran, Helius Chief Executive.

The active compounds in the cannabis plant have been extracted from dried flower grown by New Zealand’s largest and only organic certified medicinal cannabis cultivator, Puro.

“Up until now, New Zealand patients could only be prescribed medicinal cannabis grown overseas, with the vast majority being imported from Australia and Canada,” says Tim Aldridge Puro’s Executive Director.

“Now Kiwi patients can access cannabis medicine, which is grown right here in New Zealand, made from Puro’s organically certified crop.”

Although this news is a major step for patients there is still much work to be done in educating healthcare practitioners about the benefits and use of Medicinal Cannabis. GPs can prescribe products for any patient for any condition but limited availability, high prices and supply chain challenges from imported products have all played a role in making access difficult for some patients. This new development should go some way to alleviating these issues.

The ministry of health maintains a list of medicinal cannabis products that meet the minimum quality standard. Patients interested in medicinal cannabis products and their options should discuss their situation with their doctor or pharmacist.