Materia Malta has become the first company to export medical cannabis from Malta for sale in another country as it has completed the first commercial export of medical cannabis to Germany.
Materia is a leading producer and distributor of medical cannabis in Europe. The company’s German distribution subsidiary, Materia Deutschland GmbH, which took delivery of the shipment, has commenced sales to pharmacies, with a number of pre-orders already received. Germany is Europe’s largest medical cannabis market.
Nick Pateras, Managing Director, Europe of Materia highlighted that “We believe Malta will play an important role in the global cannabis supply chain, as it has done within the broader pharmaceuticals sector for decades. We are proud to be the company establishing new frontiers for Malta's and Europe’s cannabis industry”.
Malta Enterprise CEO Kurt Farrugia welcomed this news: “This is a veritable milestone which places Malta on the map within a sophisticated global supply chain. We have worked tirelessly to attain this result – a moment which will in turn push us to other frontiers within the medical cannabis field.”
Building an ecosystem
Materia is one amongst a number of other operators who have established their home in Malta in the recent years, since the legislation allowing for the production of medical cannabis products for research and medical purpose has been enacted in 2018. ZenPharm, ASG Pharma, Panaxia Pharmaceutical and MPXI have already obtained their licenses for their Malta operations.
Malta Enterprise has been leading this economic niche through its support to Government in passing the legislation and through facilitation in collaboration with other government entities, most notably the Malta Medicines Authority under the leadership of Prof Anthony Serracino Inglott. The MMA is the regulator which issues licenses to companies after a rigorous process, which allows for production in and exports from Malta to European markets and beyond.
The future of medical cannabis industry in Malta looks bright as other companies are in process to obtain their license in the coming months which would ultimately allow for exports to various countries. Malta Enterprise has also approved a number of startup projects related to Research and Development on cannabinoids, their use in different therapeutic indications, and innovation in industrial processes related to cultivation and extraction.
Malta is the ideal test bed for research given its small size and the business friendly approach. In addition, the schemes offered by Malta Enterprise allow for an advantageous financial and fiscal package which could assist companies in building of the operations, purchasing of equipment, relocation of machinery and personnel, research and development projects, salaries and operational costs among others.
Malta Enterprise also assists in training talent. Through a collaboration between Malta Enterprise, IDEA Academy and McGill University, ‘The McGill Medical Cannabis Course’ was held in March 2022. The course covered topics such as plant growth and genetics, processing techniques, quality assurance, physiological effects, separating fact from fiction, clinical trials and more.