Czech firm first in world to sell medical devices containing CBD

Czech company CB21 Pharma, majority owned by businessman Karel Janeček, has announced a major breakthrough. The Brno-based firm is the first in the world to be able to produce and sell final medical devices containing cannabidiol or CBD, an active ingredient of cannabis, the daily e15 reported on Wednesday.

The Slovak certification body 3EC International, which assesses the functionality and safety of medical products, has approved rectal and vaginal suppositories produced by CB21 Pharma. The company is now waiting to receive a formal certificate.

The document will enable the company to supply products to EU markets. The products, sold under Canneff brand, should be available in several pharmaceutical chains across Europe as of February.

"The newly certified medical devices can be used, for example, as an auxiliary treatment for healing haemorrhoids, after childbirth or after various surgical procedures," one of the company's founders, Jan Storch, told e15, adding that CB21 Pharma is seeking patent protection for both of the devices.

According to Mr Storch, there is no other company in the world that has obtained the same certificate. "We know of one company that produces certified CBD medicinal products, but they haven’t got any medical devices on the market yet," he told the website.

CB21 Pharma also plans to register other medical devices targeted at neurological, dental and immunological problems. However, they are still in the development and clinical testing phase. According to Mr Storch, they could reach the market by 2023.

CBD is the second most prevalent of the active ingredients of cannabis. Unlike THC, it is not psychoactive. CBD oil is made by extracting CBD from the cannabis plant, then diluting it with a carrier oil like coconut or hemp seed oil.

Until now, the CB21 Pharma has been selling mainly cosmetic products containing CBD.

"The demand for CBD-containing medical products and medical devices is starting to be massive in the world and is growing every year, but there are still only a handful of companies that can develop them. So, if the development is not delayed, we can have billions in sales within a few years,” Karel Janeček, another co-founder of the company, told the website e15.