DanCann Pharma A/S: Medicinal cannabis bill is an important step in the right direction

COPENHAGEN, Denmark, 08 October 2021 - DanCann Pharma A/S ("DanCann" or the "Company") hereby announces that the Danish Minister of Health, Magnus Heunicke, has submitted a bill to continue the Pilot Programme for medicinal cannabis. In May, the majority of parliamentary parties agreed to extend the Pilot Programme for prescription for Danish patients by four years from 1 January 2022. At the same time, the bill aims to give companies a permanent opportunity to manufacture medicinal cannabis products.

The Pilot Programme for medicinal cannabis was introduced in January 2018 and has, to put it mildly, lived a rather tumultuous life. The purpose of the Pilot Programme was to create a legal alternative for those patients who bought medicinal cannabis through illegal channels. However, the good intentions of the Pilot Programme were hampered by high product prices due to the lack of opportunity for reimbursement, too few products and non-existent guidelines for doctors, combined with a skewed division of responsibilities for the prescribing of medicinal cannabis.

In the new bill, the Minister of Health opens up for it to be possible to provide reimbursement for medicinal cannabis according to a flexible model, which takes into account the size of the reimbursement, amount limits and subsidy percentages. According to the Minister, this means that the reimbursement can be adjusted up or down if funds can be found for it. DanCann Pharma recently entered into a purchase agreement with the wholesale company CannGros and will in future be a significant player in the market for medicinal cannabis under the Pilot Programme. And CEO Jeppe Krog Rasmussen is happy with the new reimbursement opportunities:

- We have waited for the opportunity to apply for reimbursement for medicinal cannabis on equal terms with other conventional medicines, due to the treatment with "our" products is disproportionately expensive for patients. What many people forget is, that those patients who benefit from treatment with medicinal cannabis to reduce pain and discomfort are likely to have fewer days off and more days in the job market. In our perspective, it is a really good idea for the whole society to get rid of the stigma of the many patients who actually benefit and get help from medicinal cannabis.

Another challenge addressed in the new bill is the fact that there is no formalized guidance in medicinal cannabis medication.

- Since 2018, doctors have been able to legally prescribe medicinal cannabis products for pain treatment for certain indications, but due to the absence of a formalized guidance, they have had to uphold the responsibility for the treatment. In the new bill, there is a proposal that the medicinal cannabis companies are obliged to enclose a suitable medicine target and a treatment guide in the packages. It will hopefully contribute to more doctors being more willing to prescribe the medicine, points out Jeppe Krog Rasmussen.

DanCann Pharma A/S, which was listed on the stock exchange last year, was formed to create a legal medical alternative for all those patients who have not received sufficient effect of their previous medication. With an ambition to be able to deliver a qualified and standardized product - prepared according to standards that apply in the manufacture of conventional medicine.

Jeppe Krog Rasmussen hopes that the greater political focus can influence the speed of the case processing at the Danish Medicines Agency, so that patients can soon have access to more approved products.

- Right now, patients are the big losers in the whole debate about exports, standards, and profitability, which in our opinion is both unworthy and unsustainable. If producers, politicians, and agencies can work together to get things moving, then I am very confident about the future - also on behalf of the patients, he concludes.

About DanCann Pharma

DanCann Pharma A/S (SS: DANCAN) was founded in 2018 and is a Danish biopharmaceutical Company powered by cannabinoids. DanCann Pharma is a vertically integrated, licensed production and distribution Company based in Denmark. The Company focuses on discovering, developing, manufacturing, and commercializing new therapeutic cannabinoids in a wide range of disease areas.

DanCann Pharma A/S (SS: DANCAN) is listed on the Spotlight Stock Market in Copenhagen.
For more information, visit: www.dancann.com

For further information, please contact:

Jeppe Krog Rasmussen, CEO
E-mail: jkr@dancann.com
Website: www.dancann.com