Israeli cannabis company gets backing from country’s healthcare giants

An Israeli medical cannabis company has teamed up with some of the country’s largest healthcare providers to make treatment accessible to more patients. 

Medical cannabis company, Tikun Olam-Cannbit recently announced it has entered into a partnership agreement with Israel’s second-largest healthcare provider, Maccabi Healthcare Services.

As part of the deal, Tikun Olam-Cannbit will offer Maccabi members who hold a medical cannabis license, discounts on its products and services, including the dispensing and distribution of products to the patient’s home, training on how to use a vape, consulting and webinars on the latest research.

It follows an arrangement made by the company with Meuhedet Health Services, that in addition to providing delivery, consulting and patient training services, will see the training of Meuhedet physicians and medical staff.

Tikun Olam-Cannbit has already entered a five-year agreement with one of Israel’s largest hospitals, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, to collaborate on the establishment of a Medical Cannabis Research Center on the campus in Tel Aviv, in conjunction with the hospital’s Medical Research Infrastructure and Health Services Fund.

The firm will conduct six clinical studies, three of which will be conducted within the next five years, and the rest within the next decade.

The study fund will examine possibility of developing analytical tools to identify blood endocannabinoid levels, receive access to analyse active ingredients and will also see the firm provide preclinical studies, publish joint academic publications and collaborate on projects using the hospital’s biobank.

Tikun Olam-Cannbit will provide its cannabis strains for studies that will be conducted at the research centre free of charge and will provide strains at a discount for clinical and preclinical studies for the other studies that will be conducted at the research centre. 

Avinoam Sapir, CEO of Tikun Olam-Cannbit said the recent developments were evidence that the Israeli medical establishment has put its faith in the efficacy of medical cannabis. 

“The agreement signed with Maccabi Healthcare Services comes on the heels of the agreement that was recently signed with Meuhedet Health Services and the agreement to establish the research institute with Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center,” he commented. 

“They all demonstrate the faith of the medical establishments in the therapeutic efficacy of medical cannabis based on clinical research. I welcome this important partnership and the selection of Tikun Olam-Cannbit for the second time by a leading medical institution.”

Sapir added: “The fact that another HMO has decided to include cannabis as part of the treatment services it offers and chooses to do so with Tikun Olam-Cannbit at this point testifies to the professional faith in our clinical knowledge and abilities to provide support throughout the medical cannabis value chain, based on proven clinical research and recognition of Tikun Olam-Cannbit as a pharmaceutical company.”