The pharmaceutical company CanPharma launched several discount contracts with statutory health insurance funds at the beginning of the year. The contract with the health insurance provider GWQ has been in effect since the beginning of January, and the cooperation with IKK Classic has been in place since February 1st. Further agreements with payers to improve the supply of medical cannabis are already planned. This makes CanPharma one of the first cannabis companies to conclude a discount contract.   

 According to CanPharma, discount contracts with medical cannabis aim to put the supply of patients with certain cannabis-based medicines on a secure footing and at the same time increase economic efficiency. In addition, the aim is to simplify the time-consuming reimbursement process: Currently, therapy with pharmaceutical cannabis requires approval by the health insurance fund before doctors are allowed to issue the corresponding prescriptions.   

Discount agreements are not uncommon for other medicines, but they are new for cannabis-based products. Stefan Jacker, pharmacist and managing director of CanPharma GmbH: “Cannabis-based pharmaceuticals have so far not had the status they deserve in the therapy of seriously ill people. We hope that the new agreements will lead to better acceptance of cannabis and to more trust within the medical profession. The cost-effectiveness of this adjunctive therapy option plays a role in this – and we are actively addressing the issue.”  In this context, an existing discount agreement with medicinal cannabis has no effect on the so-called therapeutic sovereignty: “No patient should be switched. What matters to us is that in a cannabis therapy, the products are prescribed that are on the one hand individually tailored to the patient’s therapy needs, and on the other hand economical and of course of the best pharmaceutical quality. The patient’s well-being has the highest priority for CanPharma,” emphasises Stefan Jacker.   

The discount contract between CanPharma and IKK Classic covers the prescription of three cannabis extracts. The agreement with GWQ goes a bit further and also provides for the prescription of cannabis flowers. GWQ is a health insurance provider that represents various statutory health insurance funds, such as numerous company health insurance funds.   

CanPharma GmbH has already been on the market since July 2020 with various prescription medicines such as medicinal cannabis flowers, and in May 2021 three different cannabis extracts were added.   

About CanPharma 

CanPharma GmbH is a pharmaceutical company with a wholesale and manufacturing licence and a comprehensive portfolio of medicinal cannabinoid products. We aim to become a leading European pharmaceutical company and to improve the quality of life of patients by providing advanced products. Our manufacturing partners meet the highest pharmaceutical quality standards, the EU GMP/GACP guidelines. CanPharma supplies pharmacies throughout Germany with high quality products and CanPharma supplies pharmacies throughout Germany with high-quality products and educates professionals and patients about the professional use of medicinal cannabis.