The Medicines Control Authority of Zimbabwe (MCAZ) received an overwhelming response from individuals and corporates interested in manufacturing hemp-based complementary medicine, the authority has said.
MCAZ recently flighted a call for applications from those interested in producing complementary medicines from industrial hemp and cannabis.
The authority’s Acting Director General, Richard Rukwata said the response to their call has been overwhelming.
“Quite a number of individuals have expressed interest in submitting their products for approval, and the Authority has since started receiving applications for approval of Hemp-base CBD complementary medicines,” said Rukwata.
MCAZ set the application fee at USD 600 per application and is yet to approve any from the responses received.
Rukwata said approved producers will have the decide which ailments to use the products they make.
“The only condition is that the specified complementary Cannabidiol (CBD) product should have been approved by the Authority. In terms of what conditions or ailments such products treat or address, it is up to the applicant to provide this information and we await sub-submissions to be included in the applications,” he said.
According to MCAZ, product samples and certificate analyses detailing the number of cannabidiols in the product and traces of the psychoactively intoxicating tetrahydrocannabinols are required.
Zimbabwe joins 21 countries across the world including the United Kingdom which approved the use and sale of hemp products like CBD oils.