Knobbe Martens
May 9, 2018

First Ever Marijuana-Related Medical Device Approved

According to PR Newswire, the Israeli Ministry of Health has granted initial approval to Tel-Aviv-based Kanabo Research for their VapePod vaporizer product as a medical device. PR Newswire notes that with this approval, Israel has become the first country in the world to grant medical device approval for a “vaporizer for the use of medical cannabis extracts and formulations.” High Times, a cannabis-related publication, goes further to say that this is the first certification of marijuana “‘paraphernalia’ as an accepted medical device.”According to Israel21c, Kanabo claims that the approved vaporizer will provide for “more effective, consistent, and accurate dosing and delivery methods than currently accepted medical cannabis treatment methods.” Cannabis administration “has long frustrated doctors due to lack of precise dosage” according to The Jerusalem Post. It reports that Kanabo says the VapePod will solve this problem with its “consistent and accurate gauge.” Moreover, The Jerusalem Post notes that many medical cannabis patients inhale by smoking, and that vaporizers “reduce health risks and make inhalation more effective.”

Kanabo Research’s VapePod

Israel21c also reports that Kanabo’s next version of the approved VapePod – the VapePod MD, will “monitor patient usage and gather usage data for caregivers, doctors and research applications. PR Newswire reports that Kanabo has initiated pre-clinical trials and is “achieving impressive results in early findings” with their targeted formulations for sleep disorders that are designed to be used with the approved VapePod. Kanabo also has two patents pending which are directed to the formulations according to PR Newsire.

Kanabo Research was founded in 2016 and currently employs 12 people according to The Jerusalem Post. Co-Founder and CEO of Kanabo Research Avihu Tamir had this to say about the future of the company: “We expect that due to the transition of most of the cannabis consumers to the use of vaporizers, our company is projected to reach $10 million in sales within three years in the Israeli market, while the Israeli cannabis market is expected to reach $100 million in sales within three years. The Israeli market is a platform to deliver our technology to global markets in North America and Europe.”

Written by: Clayton Hensen