December 20, 2021
Rua Bioscience ready to ship cannabis oil


Ruatōria-based Rua Bioscience says it’s time to educate doctors about how medical cannabis can help their patients.
MedSafe last week ruled that Rua’s cannabinoid oil met quality standards and is ready for distribution as a prescription-only medicine.
CBD oils are commonly prescribed in New Zealand for pain, epilepsy and anxiety, but most medicines are imported.
Director Manu Caddie says there is still a lot of stigma and misunderstanding among doctors about cannabis.
“There was to be quite an investment by the Ministry of Health in educating prescribers but then Covid came along and that budget got put into the Covid response so hopefully government will put some resource into helping GPs become more comfortable and confident in prescribing these kinds of products,” he says.
Mr Caddie says the success of medical cannabis is good news for Māori entities looking at investing in natural health products.