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Mar 01, 2022
Viseu
Ferraz Pharma, which is part of the Ferraz Group, wants to be a reference in the world of cannabis in Portugal. The family company, which has been operating in the pharmaceutical and nutraceutical industry (nutrition for therapeutic purposes) since 1981, aims to transform the way cannabis is used, with “avant-garde” and “innovative” solutions, focusing on CBD products and new formulations for therapeutics, not only for human use but also for animals.
The company says it is the only Portuguese company involved in the current process of approving the dossier for the use of CBD as “novel food” marketed), and expects to have a response from the EU at the beginning of this year.
Infarmed license arrived in May last year
The new production unit, located near the group's headquarters, in Santa Comba Dão, received the Infarmed license for Research and Development of cannabis-based products last May and is now operational. The company produces cannabis-based medicines and is now studying various formulas, also with THC, and testing different solutions, such as capsules, pleasantly flavored oils, edibles or a nasal applicator, which will make life easier for users. This is based on “two important variables: a faster effect and one that lasts longer”, explains Pedro Ferraz, member of the group's board of directors. “The option of giving the flower to the consumer to be steamed or smoked makes no sense and the use of drops, despite being one of the fastest ways to be absorbed, is not the most comfortable or practical”, he emphasizes. “The core of the brand is the use of CBD”full spectrum”, he stresses, “because it is much more effective than cannabis isolates.”
In a first phase, the unit will dedicate itself to developing formulas for animal health and, later, it will dedicate itself to products for human use, focusing on cosmetics – the only products in which, for now, CBD can be used. The company's strategy is to manufacture its own extracts, using Portuguese and foreign suppliers to acquire the raw material.
Hemp problems delay processes
Pedro Ferraz, manager of the company, says that in this matter, however, they faced the greatest difficulties. If the laboratory licensing process by Infarmed was relatively easy and fast, not everything was a bed of roses. The processes are still lengthy and the bureaucracy is immense, especially with regard to hemp. Portugal was one of the first countries to decriminalize drugs, even in terms of regulating cannabis for medical use, but now, and especially in relation to hemp, “due to the lack of experience in this area and the problems that the authorities are raising, it becomes if very castrating. It is difficult to invest in this area, to the point where it can make the whole process unfeasible”, he laments.
For the entrepreneur, “if we want to be at the forefront, we cannot waste any more time”. Interest in the plant is intrinsic to the company's philosophy. “The genesis of the group has always been linked to nature – plants have always provided humankind with medical solutions, with many associated benefits”. And the advantages of cannabis, in this respect, seem indisputable. "We have seen the application in cancer patients with incredible results”, it says. But for Ferraz Pharma, animals can also benefit enormously from using CBD. “We have cases of animals with anxiety or Parkinson's problems in which the application of CBD has an almost miraculous effect”, he concludes.
