How can hurdles to accessing treatment be reduced for medical cannabis patients and health professionals? One German company has come up with a new product which it claims will help by cutting the time taken testing cannabis products from 30 minutes to five.
The new cannabis testing kit, which can identify both CBD and THC, has been launched by Farmako GmbH, a GDP-certified pharmaceutical wholesaler specialising in medical cannabis. The Frankfurt-based company, a subsidiary of Canadian cannabis firm Agra Ventures Ltd, has been distributing to pharmacies in Germany since 2019, and is fully-licensed to starting distribution operations in the UK this year.
The new THC/CBD Kombitest can be used for identity-testing of cannabis flowers, cannabis extracts, dronabinol and CBD isolate, according to a statement from the company, which continues: “With only one single application, all common cannabis formulations and source materials can be tested for their identity easily and quickly (approximately five minutes) without expensive aids or reference substances, with minimal material consumption. Significant time savings are achieved in particular by running the THC and CBD tests in parallel.
“An independent testing laboratory [Quality Services International GmbH] has validated the specificity for different cannabis flowers (THC- and CBD-dominant, THC/CBD), cannabis extracts (THC and CBD whole extract), dronabinol and CBD isolate. It was confirmed that in addition to the validated varieties, other flowers and extracts can also be tested with the test.”
According to Farmako, the five-minute test compares to the 30 minutes taken with a thin-layer chromatography test. It is also claimed that the new test is simple to use: “No pre-treatment of the cannabis material is necessary. The test solution is already included in the test kit. Just add water, shake and immediately dip the test strip (THC) or wait for the colour reaction (CBD).”
A pack of five tests costs €49.90. The firm has been distributing a THC-only test since the start of 2021, and can now supply a CBD-only test too.
Katrin Eckmans, Farmako’s managing director comments, “We are proud to launch the new testkits and are very happy with the early positive feedback from the market. Our biggest goal is to reduce hurdles for cannabis patients, manufacturers, medical and pharmaceutical staff.
“In order to advance cannabis therapy, it is so important to make the work of doctors and pharmacists easier. Therefore, the possibility of conducting identity-testing via validated quick-tests is a very important step in making cannabinoid therapy less complicated. We are proud to be one of the driving forces in this movement.”
Speaking on behalf of Agra Ventures, CEO and director Elise Coppens adds, “The innovation demonstrated by Katrin and her team at Farmako, through the creation and launch of the new testkits, is a great achievement. I am pleased with Farmako’s maturation as a subsidiary of Agra Ventures and applaud the efforts of its staff to add value to the overall organisation. The strategic evolution of Agra Ventures continues to be positive, based on the progress being made in Germany and the growth occurring at Boundary Bay Cannabis in British Columbia. I look forward to more progress being made and new milestones being achieved in the near future.”