The Portuguese National Medicines Laboratory (LNM), an institution under the Portuguese Ministry of Defense, is moving forward with the production of medical cannabis according to information from Cannareporter.
The LNM, historically linked to the Portuguese army, recently signed a contract for the construction of clean rooms for medical cannabis. This initiative, costing around 183,000 euros, would aim to meet the medical needs of Portuguese patients by offering a potential alternative or complement to existing pharmaceutical options.
The contract and construction of the clean room
According to information provided by Cannareporter, the contract, signed in August 2023, concerns the construction of clean rooms. The contract provides for a completion time of 144 days and was awarded to TypeSolution SA, a company specializing in laboratory and industrial equipment consulting. TypeSolution SA has notably worked with several Portuguese clients in the medical cannabis sector, including Tilray, CannPrisma and LabialFarma.
Although Portuguese law allows the LNM to contribute to the production of cannabis-based medicines, the specific nature of their participation remains unclear. The LNM's involvement in cannabis could help alleviate the bureaucratic burden associated with exceptional use authorizations (the equivalent of French ATUs) and reduce the high acquisition costs of existing cannabis-based medicines such as 'Epidyolex or Sativex.
The exact goals of the infrastructure being developed and whether LNM intends to create specific medicinal cannabis products remain unclear, however, as Cannareporter did not have a more specific response from LNM.
SkanAbility project and research consortium
The LNM is also participating in the “SkanAbility” project, a research consortium launched in 2020. This project, in which industrial players, the Faculty of Pharmacy of the University of Lisbon and the University of Minho participate, aimed to develop formulations for functional cosmetics and aromatherapy incorporating cannabinoids and terpenes.
The goal of the project, as detailed in the text, was to create formulations, including creams, emulsions, topicals or enriched oils, with purified cannabinoids and terpenes extracted from flowers or leaves of cannabis.
The NML's task within the “SkanAbility” project, specifically categorized as “T106”, was to create a cannabis biobank through the use of biological samples and the recording of comprehensive characterization data. Cannareporter suggests that planning and design of the biobank support structure has been completed, and implementation of the physical infrastructure is underway.
Additionally, the NML claims to have completed another critical project-related task: planning and creating a quality management plan for the handling of biological samples. This involves ensuring the safety, transportation, storage and traceability of processes associated with the correct preservation and handling of samples. Additional mention is made of the development of a digital registry dedicated to the management of the biobank database.
