Ireland's Dunbar Pharma Launches First Plant-Derived Dronabinol in UK Through IPS Pharma

Irish pharmaceutical cannabis manufacturer Dunbar Pharmaceuticals has launched the first plant-derived dronabinol active ingredient into the UK market in partnership with IPS Pharma. The WaterClear THC range includes 5 mg and 10 mg oral capsules, a 25 mg/mL oral spray, and a 25 mg/mL oily dropper solution, manufactured at Dunbar's EU-GMP facility in Athlone, Ireland.

Dunbar Pharmaceuticals, an Irish pharmaceutical cannabis manufacturer, has launched the first plant-derived dronabinol active ingredient into the UK market through a partnership with Specials manufacturer IPS Pharma. The WaterClear THC products are now available to clinicians across the UK for the first time.

Dronabinol, the international non-proprietary name for delta-9-THC in purified pharmaceutical form, has been approved in the US for chemotherapy-induced nausea since 1985. Until now, commercial-scale supply of the drug has been almost entirely synthetic.

Dunbar's WaterClear range is manufactured under Health Products Regulatory Authority oversight at its EU-GMP facility in Athlone, Ireland. The product is a chemically defined, pharmacopoeia-grade active ingredient produced from plant starting material rather than through chemical synthesis, offering predictable milligram dosing and minimal compositional variability.

Leah Fletcher, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Dunbar Pharma, said many patients cannot or do not wish to inhale cannabinoid medicines and should have access to suitable alternatives. She noted that manufacturing at commercial scale in Ireland to EU GMP standards provides partners such as IPS Pharma with a consistent, reliable supply of dronabinol for oral formulations.

The launch comes amid a visible shift toward pharma-grade cannabinoid formulations across European markets. In Germany, where Dunbar entered earlier in 2026, the category that includes dronabinol recorded more statutory health insurance prescriptions than cannabis flower over the course of 2025.

Fletcher argued that the UK's regulatory route is still lagging behind more flexible markets like Germany. UK Specials manufacturers must allocate 90 days to a patient-specific prescription and cannot compound in anticipation of demand, whereas German pharmacies operating under the magisterial preparation route can manufacture ahead of time based on previous prescription volumes.

The UK launch lands ahead of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs' expected review of medical cannabis, which Fletcher said she hopes will produce more structure, rigour, and clear guidelines for people supplying to the market.