GMP: What does Good Manufacturing Practice mean?

GMP means “Good Manufacturing Practice” and is defined by the European Commission. The EU GMP guidelines used to guarantee the quality of pharmaceuticals and active ingredients as well as cosmetics, food and animal feed are laid down by the European Commission.

The guidelines aim to identify and eliminate risks to product quality at an early stage. To this end, for example, hygiene standards are defined and the use of trained personnel is prescribed.

In pharmaceutical production in particular, quality assurance plays an important role in ensuring the safety of patients. That is why we and, of course, our suppliers are GMP-certified.

What do the EU GMP guidelines actually mean for medical cannabis?

In order to be allowed to import cannabis into Germany or to produce it in Germany, special conditions must be met during production. These conditions are also regulated by the EU GMP guidelines. Compliance with all requirements is regularly monitored by certified laboratories.

If cannabis will be imported for the first time from a supplier outside the EU, this supplier must first be certified. For this purpose, an inspection is carried out, which is then repeated on a regular basis. On site, it is checked whether defined processes, the so-called Standard Operation Procedures, are adhered to and carefully documented. The documentation is important in order to be able to retrace all manufacturing steps.

For example, the premises and equipment are inspected. Random checks in the drying rooms determine whether uniform drying can be ensured to prevent microbiological contamination.

Each grower must also ensure that there can be no contamination from fertilizers, growing media or packaging materials, and that strict regulations on the use of pesticides are adhered to.