ECH Launch New Platform to Facilitate the Licensed Import of Medical Cannabis Across Europe

Portfolio Company, Astral Health and Miller & Miller form a New
Joint Venture to Open Up the UK Market

Pharma Industry Veteran Robert Whitehouse Appointed Managing
Director of Astral Health

London (ots/PRNewswire) - The first platform to facilitate the
licenced importation of medical cannabis into Europe has formally
launched in the UK. Astral Health will act as a gateway to the
European cannabis market, providing a simple and efficient system for
the licenced import and distribution of approved medical cannabis
products. German, Italian, French and Spanish market announcements
will follow over the coming weeks.

The company will provide European patients living with a range of
chronic and debilitating conditions with life-changing access to the
best medical cannabis products available by offering a streamlined
end-to-end system for bringing products into the market. Its services
include support on market access, approvals and navigating the
regulatory system, as well as education, training and intelligence.

The launch of the end-to-end platform follows the formation of a
new UK joint venture between ECH and Miller & Miller Chemicals Ltd.
The agreement formalises their existing working relationship as
experts in this field and is demonstrative of their shared commitment
to providing better access for patients.

ECH recently opened The Medical Cannabis Clinics, Britain's first
chain of specialist medical cannabis clinics and achieved a historic
milestone by facilitating the importation of the UK's first bulk
shipment of cannabis-based medicine since the Home Office decision to
legalise it for prescription last November. Despite legalisation,
only a handful of prescriptions for medical cannabis have been
written to date - with the vast majority originating through The
Medical Cannabis Clinics.

Miller & Miller are the market experts in medical cannabis access,
with a patient-centric approach based on ethical principles. Working
in close contact with ECH's Chief Medical Officer, Professor Mike
Barnes, they fulfilled the first medical cannabis prescription in the
UK for patient Carly Barton in December and the landmark prescription
for seven year-old epilepsy sufferer Alfie Dingley, which was
written by Prof Barnes.

This close partnership between the two companies means that
Astral, which will provide a full suite of services to those in the
medical cannabis sector, benefits from significant expertise around
logistics and distribution, while building on Miller & Miller and
ECH's market-leading knowledge of the medical cannabis market and the
regulatory approvals process in key markets.

Former Almirall and GW Pharma distributor Robert Whitehouse has a
wealth of experience bringing cutting edge medicines into new
European jurisdictions, including market access experience, intricate
knowledge of the regulatory environment and extensive market
development expertise. His broad experience includes working on the
Europe-wide commercialisation of various pharmaceuticals products
(including the pharmaceutical cannabinoid drug Sativex by GW Pharma)
and making multiple submissions to NICE and other European regulatory
bodies. He led negotiations over pricing with the UK's Department of
Health and with the CPU and NCPE in Ireland over Skilarence and
Sativex ahead of their introduction to the public health systems.

Additional high level advisory-level support will also come from
ECH's wider team, including Professor Mike Barnes, one of the world's
foremost expert in medical cannabis, who is leading on regulatory
developments in a number of jurisdictions; and from Hannah Deacon,
the UK's highest-profile Patient Advocate, whose campaign on behalf
of her young son Alfie Dingley, changed the law in the UK.

ECH, the group of companies at the forefront of the medical
cannabis industry, already has a wide network in place ready to
utilise this platform and support its growth. This includes working
with a number of licensed producers of EU GMP certified pharma grade
cannabis products ready to import across Europe. The launch of Astral
Health will further facilitate market access and transform Europe's
growing medical cannabis infrastructure.

Dean Friday, ECH CFO & Director, said: "The launch of Astral
Health is a pioneering step forward that will support increased
market access to medical cannabis across Europe. The legalisation of
prescription cannabis in the UK has given people with chronic
illnesses hope; the next step is to ensure the availability of this
medication to those who need it. By facilitating the licensed import
of approved medical cannabis products on an ongoing contractual basis
through Astral Health, that's what we are working to achieve."

John Miller of Miller & Miller, said: "I am delighted to formalise
our relationship with ECH to launch this important new platform,
which will help patients access the best medical cannabis products on
the market by streamlining the process for bringing them into
different countries. Astral Health is a key step to transforming the
medical cannabis landscape around Europe."

Access to medical cannabis products will have benefits for
patients across Europe suffering a variety of chronic and
life-altering conditions. As an independent platform with a growing
network of relationships with global cannabis producers, Astral
Health will provide a unique channel to boost access to affordable
healthcare across Europe. The establishment of the new venture comes
as the regulatory outlook in Europe and beyond continues to shift.
Last month saw the European Parliament vote in favour of a
non-binding resolution seeking to encourage European Union countries
to increase access to medical cannabis, and the World Health
Organisation has also called for cannabis to be removed from Schedule
IV of the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs.

ABOUT ECH

ECH is an unrivalled group of companies at the forefront of the
medical cannabis industry. It provides venture capital, exceptional
talent and operational excellence to a portfolio that includes market
intelligence firm Prohibition Partners, Europe's leading medical
cannabis conference Cannabis Europa, CBD brand Nooro, online learning
platform The Academy of Medical Cannabis and UK private clinic chain
The Medical Cannabis Clinics. These holdings provide ECH with a
fundamental anchor in the cannabis industry while helping to shape
its future.

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ots Originaltext: ECH
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