Aphria Subsidiary Gets GMP Certification; To Ship Medical Cannabis To EU

(RTTNews) - Canadian cannabis company Aphria Inc. said it's subsidiary has received a European Union Good Manufacturing Practices or EU GMP certification that will allow the company to begin supplying medical cannabis to the European Union.

Aphria said it's subsidiary ARA - Avanti Rx Analytics received the certification from the Malta Medicines Authority or MMA. The GMP certification is in respect of medicinal products and investigational medicinal products for human use.

Ontario-based Aphria said it selected the MMA to perform the EU GMP audit as the criteria and certification thresholds established by the agency are among the most stringent and demanding in the EU.

The certification will allow Aphria to ship bulk and finished dried flower as well as cannabis oil for medicinal use in permitted jurisdictions throughout the European Union.

Irwin Simon, Chief Executive Officer of Aphria, said he believes the EU GMP certification will be a game changer for the company and enable it to significantly advance its presence in permissible medical cannabis markets across Europe, where demand for product is strong.

"With 2.4 million square feet of licensed production capacity of up to 255,000 kilograms, state-of-the-art greenhouses and labs, and our global infrastructure, we believe Aphria is well positioned to lead in the Canadian and international markets," Simon added.

Aphria noted that its German operations were preparing for the importation of EU-GMP certified cannabis from Canada, allowing for shipments to the company's German subsidiary CC Pharma GmbH.

The company expects its first shipments of medical cannabis to CC Pharma will occur in its fourth quarter of fiscal 2020.