Aurora Cannabis Buys UK Pharmacy and Import Licence for £2.1m

Aurora Cannabis has acquired 100% of Birmingham-based Internod Pharma and HAP Pharma in an all-cash deal worth £2.1m, giving it direct ownership of a licensed importer, wholesaler, and pharmacy in the UK for the first time. The deal, announced on August 19, 2026, is designed to shorten the distance between Aurora and UK patients as the company shifts focus from Canadian adult-use to European medical cannabis markets.

Aurora Cannabis has completed dual acquisitions in the UK worth £2.1m, taking direct ownership of a licensed importer and wholesaler alongside a licensed pharmacy for the first time in what it calls 'a very important growth market'. On August 19, 2026, the Canadian LP acquired 100% of the shares in Birmingham-based Internod Pharma and HAP Pharma in an all-cash deal.

Andreas Dotterweich, Aurora's Senior Vice President, said the acquisition was designed to shorten the distance between the company and the UK's patient population. 'It is being a lot closer to the patient,' he said. 'At the end of the day, it's patient demand, and you want to have a direct route to the patient, and the direct route to market… it gives us also control and ownership of the key import, distribution, and pharmacy capabilities.'

Internod Pharma holds UK Wholesale Dealer's Authorisation 58825, granted by the MHRA on August 14, 2024, covering the import, holding and supply of prescription-only medicines, including narcotic and psychotropic products, from an operating site in Oldbury. That licence is the key asset behind the acquisition, giving Aurora the right to import and distribute medical cannabis product into the UK without routing them through a third-party wholesaler.

HAP Pharma is described as 'a licensed pharmacy', but has filed dormant company accounts since incorporation in April 2020, suggesting no significant trading activity. Internod Pharma's latest accounts show £30,872 in equipment at cost by March 2026, trade creditors, and a small debtor book, though its turnover has never been made public.

The acquisition follows a period of rapid growth in Aurora's European business. Europe accounted for 47.5% of Aurora's net revenue in the quarter ended June 30, 2026, up from 33.7% a year earlier, while Canada's share fell from 49.9% to 35.9% over the same period. Germany drove the shift, with Aurora's international medical cannabis revenue rising 17% to CA$43.3m.

CEO Miguel Martin said the transaction marked the latest evolution of Aurora's long-term strategy, moving away from Canadian adult-use markets towards medical cannabis markets flourishing across Europe. 'We believe that this transaction will allow us to fully leverage our operational, commercial and regulatory expertise to expand our market share, while also supporting a consistent and reliable supply of high-quality medical cannabis products to UK patients,' Martin explained.

Asked whether the deal would translate into lower prices for patients, Dotterweich said it was 'a bit early to give a concrete answer to that', but that it meant 'better access for the patients, definitely, also especially with the pharmacy'. He emphasised that the UK is 'a very important growth market for Aurora' and that the acquisition strengthens Aurora's platform to navigate regulatory shifts.