UK MEDICAL cannabis distributor Grow Pharma has boosted its patient product range by 20% after striking a new deal with Althea Group Holdings.
Grow Pharma – a joint venture between Grow Biotech and IPS Pharma – is at the forefront of efforts to establish a cost-effective, patient-focused medical cannabis regime in the UK.
The Althea deal sees it add an additional five products to its range taking it, in total, to 25.
Pierre van Weperen, Chief Commercial Officer, Grow Pharma, said: “Althea is unique in terms of helping us diversify our portfolio and ensuring the products we carry, from the companies we work with, do not overlap.
“It would be difficult to have products competing with each other, so we are very selective in who we bring on board and then selective in relation to their product portfolio.”
Grow’s existing distribution deals include; US firm Columbia Care, Aurora Cannabis, of Canada, Bedrocan, of Holland and Australia’s MGC Pharma.
Price, Product and Patient Access
Grow Pharma’s products from Althea includes a range of oils and one flower, with the potential to bring additional flowers to the UK, over time.
Its unlicensed range of 25 products now include flowers with ratios of THC to CBD from 30:1, 22:1, 18:1, and 14:1 as well as balanced oils which act as the starting point for many patients.
Grow Biotech was established in 2017 with a focus on the technical issues around extraction and distribution and a drive to improve patient access in the UK.
Mr van Weperen, who is also the Managing Director of Grow Biotech, said: “We work with GPs and healthcare professionals to improve patient access with the goal of making it cheaper, more efficient and more affordable.”
Grow Pharma says it focuses on two key metrics whilst sourcing new partnership arrangements – price, and product range.
“The second part of the conversation with our supplier partners is in relation to price – it needs to be a good product, it needs to fit in with our range, and it needs to be affordable.
“We look for companies that fit with this ethos and share our goal of boosting patient access.
“We are expecting the UK market to grow, and as patients and doctors become better informed we will see doctors asking for a greater range of products.”
Althea’s UK Footprint
Althea is listed on the Australian Securities Exchange. It is a licensed producer, supplier and exporter of pharmaceutical grade medicinal cannabis.
Its CEO Joshua Fegan said: “Grow Pharma is well-established in the fledgling UK medical cannabis market and like Althea, they are very cognisant of the fact that growth can only be achieved through healthcare professional education.”
In the UK Althea also owns MyAccess Clinics, a private cannabis medicine practice, with surgeries in Bristol and London.
Althea also provides a free online platform for UK healthcare professionals prescribing medical cannabis through its Medical Science Liaisons team and Althea Concierge.
Grow Pharma has agreed a wholesale purchase price for Althea products and has said it will respect the maximum UK retail price.
Grow Pharma CEO Ben Langley said: “Adding Althea to our select group of global medical cannabis manufacturers is a big win for us given their first class selection of medicines at prices that are accessible for UK patients.”
