MAKING CANNABIS MEDICINE

In an 8,800 square metre facility in Auckland, future-focused research and production of medicine is occurring. This is the home of Helius Therapeutics, a business at the forefront of cannabis-based medicines in Aotearoa.

Chief Commercial Officer Julie Curphey says that the Helius vision is built around improving the health of those under-served by the conventional pharmaceutical approach.

Since the introduction of the Medicinal Cannabis Scheme in April 2020, it has been legal for any doctor to prescribe medicinal cannabis to any patient. However, many are not aware of that.

“When these people find cannabis-based medicines, their lives can literally change. We have stories of patients who have not been able to function well enough to have full-time work or interact fully with their families for years. Medicinal cannabis has allowed them to stop taking many of the drugs they were taking, to be able to feel ‘human’, to come back to their families and function much more ‘normally’ in society,” she says.

“Medicinal cannabis production currently needs to be done under full pharmaceutical standards, including dried flower – which is typically what you might obtain from the illicit market.”

To maintain a product appropriate for pharmaceutical use, they are GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) certified and must work to the highest quality standards from seed to patient.

This means, according to Julie, that “every process we carry out, from growing medicinal cannabis cultivars to extraction, to manufacturing, testing, packaging, and distribution, has a heavily audited set of SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures) that determine how everything is done. This means that consistent quality and safety is measured at every level.”

“We currently have six products available in Aotearoa that meet the New Zealand Minimum Quality Standards, that are available for any doctor to prescribe for any condition, for any patient.” These are currently all oil based.

With patients in mind, Helius Therapeutics employs a team of experts in fields from cultivation to research and development to quality and operations. Those at the helm are also highly qualified in their fields.

“The leadership team at Helius have spent their careers in pharmaceutical companies – mainly international roles.”

“That has been important to be able to take a plant and produce a medicine under the strict pharmaceutical standards that are required, not only in New Zealand but globally.”

The sector is still small in New Zealand; Helius remains the only company in New Zealand that produces New Zealand-grown, New Zealand-made medicine for New Zealand patients. They will begin exporting in 2023.

While the space continues to develop locally, Julie says Helius has its sights set on education and taking the stigma of cannabis away for patients and prescribers. “Misinformation and stigma are two huge barriers we need to overcome.”

She invites anyone keen to learn more about how medicinal cannabis has helped others, medicinal cannabis misconceptions, and the regulations to check out their podcast The Devil’s Lettuce: Conversations about Cannabis.

“The objective is to help educate and inform people about medicinal cannabis through sharing stories. We have some incredibly brave people who are willing to share their stories in the hope that it can help someone else who might be suffering from a similar condition or that wants to try medicinal cannabis but doesn’t know what to do or how to access it.”

@heliustherapeutics | @heliustherapeutics