Ora Pharm has finalized its acquisition of Helius Therapeutics’ business and key operating assets, with settlement complete and all relevant licenses and product registrations now issued to the company, bringing New Zealand’s largest end-to-end medicinal cannabis and hemp supply chain under a single operator.
The deal merges Helius’ EU GMP-certified manufacturing facility and its established prescriber and distribution relationships with Ora Pharm’s national grower network and export capability, forming a chain that spans genetics, cultivation, processing, manufacturing and export. Zoe Reece, Chief Executive of Ora Pharm, says: “For the first time we have an integrated export pathway for bulk cannabis biomass and finished products, capable of operating at scale. That gives New Zealand growers commercially realistic access into regulated international markets.”
2/3 of NZ growers under one umbrella
Limited onshore capacity to extract pharmaceutical grade oil has long restricted opportunities for New Zealand-grown biomass to be developed into export-ready medicinal products, leaving local cultivators without a route to the higher-value end of the market. The merged operation now processes at industrial volume. “We will be able to extract 300kg of biomass a day at capacity,” says Zoe. That throughput runs ahead of the supply base currently feeding it. “There are 45 licensed growers in New Zealand, we have 30 in our contract grower network. We need to build capability now so that we have capacity as we scale,” Zoe points out.
Thirty of the country’s 45 licensed growers now sit inside a single network, a degree of consolidation that gives Ora Pharm the volume to commit to export markets. “We will be targeting Europe once we have supply restored to the local market,” Zoe remarks.
Regulatory pathways and centralized hub
The acquisition comes as the Government continues to lower barriers for medicinal cannabis exporters. Recent regulatory changes now allow licensed cultivators to grow low-THC plants without a separate hemp license, opening opportunities across both medicinal cannabis and industrial hemp production. Medsafe export license processing times have also fallen under the new rules. “The reduction in Medsafe export licence processing times is very significant and it will support getting products to patients faster and ensure the product has the longest shelf life when it reaches the export markets,” Zoe states. Shorter approval windows matter most for a product whose commercial value degrades over time, shaving days off the journey from harvest to patient on both the domestic and export sides.
The integrated model is already feeding regional economies, with a new grower hub being established in the Hokonui region of Southland, including centralized drying and packing facilities for local cultivators. Bulk plant material will move from the Hokonui hub to Ora Pharm’s extraction and manufacturing facilities for processing into final products for local patients or export. “We will be using existing infrastructure and this should be online by the end of the year,” says Zoe.
Additionally, the company believes the model could become a blueprint for regional investment, employment and skills development as the sector matures. “This is one of those situations where a rising tide lifts all boats. The more we can process and export from New Zealand, the greater the opportunity for farmers to consider cannabis and hemp as viable high-value crops. It also creates the scale needed to support further investment into advanced pharmaceutical manufacturing capabilities, added-value products and associated clinical research,” Zoe says.
“New Zealand already has a global reputation for high-quality agriculture, trusted provenance and strong regulatory standards. The medicinal cannabis industry aligns naturally with those strengths, making it ideally positioned as a significant primary industry for the future.”
For more information:
Ora Pharm
[email protected]
www.orapharm.co.nz
