Dr. Reddy's and MediCane launch medical cannabis products in Germany

Germany forms more than half of the EU’s medical cannabis market  

As part of the collaboration, which began last year, MediCane will supply the medical cannabis products to Dr. Reddy's from its EU-GMP-certified facilities in Portugal along with providing logistical and regulatory support. Dr. Reddy’s will be the exclusive distributor of the products in Germany.  

The launch marks MediCane’s entry into the pharmaceutical sector of a major European market, while reinforcing Dr. Reddy's presence in Germany’s growing medical cannabis market. This comes after Dr. Reddy's recent acquisition of Nimbus Health GmbH, which specializes in the distribution, registration, sales and marketing of medical cannabis.  

Medical cannabis was legalised in Germany in 2017 and the country now represents more than half of the European Union medical cannabis market, in large part due to developed regulations and reimbursement from sick funds under certain circumstances. According to market intelligence firm Prohibition Partners, insurance companies reimbursed around 60% of medical cannabis prescriptions in 2019. 

The demand for medical cannabis has been increasing over recent years and the market in Germany is now valued at €122 million with 25% growth between 2020 and 2021. Around 150,000 German patients use medical cannabis to supplement treatment of a wide range of conditions. It is particularly popular for pain management, spasticity, anorexia, vomiting and depression.  

Dr. Reddy's and MediCane have also signed an agreement for the co-funding of a Phase II clinical trial for a cannabis product aimed at symptom relief of Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia (BPSD). BPSD refers to the spectrum of commonly observed non-cognitive and non-neurological symptoms of dementia, such as agitation, aggression, psychosis, depression, and apathy. 

Dr. Reddy's will hold exclusive sales and marketing rights for the product in Europe (except Russia and CIS countries) upon completion of the trial, which is expected to begin during the second half of 2022.