Czech experts were successful at the leading conference focused on the European cannabis market, Cannabis Business Europe 2024. Presentation leader Václav Trojan from the St. Anne's University Hospital (FNUSA) and experts from the Zenplanto medical cannabis cultivation facility impressed the audience with their contribution on in vitro cultivation techniques in a clean laboratory environment.
As medicinal cannabis becomes a classic pharmaceutical product, it is necessary to maintain strict standards and ensure its continued availability. The days when the cultivation of medicinal cannabis was seen as a purely plant-based production are long gone. However, the experience of the market is that no grower is currently able to consistently supply cannabis (cannabis flowers) with a guaranteed and standardised content of active substances.
In vitro yields standardized harvests
Thanks to the in vitro technique, plants can be grown completely free of viruses, fungi and other contaminations. At the same time, it makes it possible to achieve standardised values for each plant and harvest. "In cases where genetics are not tested at the beginning of cultivation, it can happen that the virus breaks out after several harvests and you lose the whole line," Dr Václav Trojan, who is one of the leading pioneers in research on cannabis for medicinal purposes, warned of the risks of traditional cultivation. "The in vitro technique solves these problems and ensures high quality and standardized products at every harvest," He adds. And it is in the production for medicinal purposes that standardisation is key.
"For example, in the German market there was a great demand for varieties with 30% THC content for pain management. But none of the growers were able to guarantee such a value. In practice, this means that the attending physician adjusts the patient's dose and there is no clear standardisation in the process," Aleš Hrabák, a pharmaceutical expert and one of the founders of the Zenplanto medical cannabis cultivation company, gives an example from practice.
First study yields results
Experts agree that large-scale clinical trials demonstrating the benefits of medical cannabis will be essential for its widespread use. "Thomas Skovlund, CEO of STENOCARE A/S, presented the first data from Denmark at the conference. Already these show that cannabis treatment can reduce treatment costs by 14 % compared to standard treatment," Aleš Hrabák shared an interesting fact from the conference.
The conference in Frankfurt also focused on the development of the German market. Following a recent change in legislation, the complications with the handling and distribution of cannabis as a narcotic substance have been removed. The market there is also expected to grow by more than 20 % between 2023 and 2024. Another interesting topic was the situation in France, where after a two-year pilot programme for 2,000 patients, medical cannabis will be fully legalised from January 2025. By contrast, in Denmark, where only extracts are allowed, the market is growing very slowly.
Zenplanto experts represented their close cooperation with leading experts such as Dr. Václav Trojan from FNUSA and Dr. Anna Rozkowska from the University of Gdansk, who is involved in the development of sensors for determining flower maturity. Thanks to such partnership projects, experts can bring innovative approaches to ensuring the production of high-quality and standardised medicinal cannabis products.
About Cannabis Business Europe 2024
The annual conference focuses on the latest developments and trends in the European cannabis industry. Key topics include regulation and legislation, production technologies, business opportunities and market trends. Participants are experts from various fields such as producers, researchers, regulators and entrepreneurs who share their experiences and innovations to foster collaboration and growth in the medical as well as recreational cannabis industry in Europe.
About Zenplant:
Zenplanto was founded in 2022. We focus on the healthcare sector, specifically the production of cannabis-related goods and services. The project is co-founded and majority owned by eMan Innovations, a venture capital fund focused on domestic and international technology projects with global potential and backed by the technology company eMan. eMan is a leading Czech software supplier, and its shares have been publicly traded on the PX Start market of the Prague Stock Exchange since 2020. More on www.zenplanto.com a www.zenplanto-farms.com.