In recent years, the medical cannabis industry has experienced significant growth and acceptance worldwide. With this growth comes the need for robust and efficient systems to manage the complex processes involved in cannabis cultivation, processing, and distribution. This is where Laboratory Information Management Systems (LIMS) play a crucial role. In Part 1, we delved into the key features of a LIMS in the medical cannabis industry and how QLIMS conforms to TGO 93 Standards. Now, in Part 2, we’re diving into how QLIMS supports the medicinal cannabis process.
How QLIMS supports the medicinal cannabis process
As the cannabis testing industry grows more and more, so does the need for greater efficiency relating to results, reports, regulatory compliance and the many other aspects of data management.
Here we will explain to you how our solution, QLIMS, supports companies involved in each part of the chain and the items that medicinal cannabis companies should consider when selecting a LIMS and software for quality control.
The 4 key functional areas of the medicinal cannabis process:
- Cultivation
- Research and Development
- Quality Control
- Manufacturing
Cultivation
This is relevant for groups who are growing the plants for medicinal use including harvesting of the plant material and are in the process of setting up or have already completed the set up of their cultivation facilities and are looking to implement a system to manage their plant yields, harvests and record each stage of the cultivation process.
The key requirement is to ensure you are recording each stage of the process, performing the correct tests and capturing the associated data in accordance to the licences.
2. Research and Development
This is essentially for groups who are researching the development of new and improved medical cannabis strains and formulations for medical-grade products.
The formulation data and analytical reports are critical in this phase. Integration to scientific instruments is enabled to ensure accuracy and efficiency.
Here we will focus on how QLIMS can help you with the extraction, research and testing of medical cannabis, with a focus on data management, quality, inventory, stability testing and regulatory standard and by discussing how a LIMS assists with extraction and analytical testing and End to end Batch & Sample Workflow Management.
3. Medical Cannabis Testing & Quality Assurance
With the large number of cultivation facilities currently set up or in the process of being implemented across the country, Medical Cannabis testing labs will see a massive magnitude of samples that will require testing and processing will be difficult to manage with just spreadsheets or paper-based systems. Furthermore, using spreadsheets is simply not enough to comply with the regulatory guidelines as there is no audit trail tracking your samples, across reception, testing and disposal.
LIMS plays a significant role in overcoming such data management and traceability challenges.
4. Manufacturing
QLIMS manages the associated testing required as part of the production/manufacture of medicinal cannabis products and ensures specifications are met. The subsidiary data including COAs required for accreditation is critical to be captured.
LIMS is the central app for pretty much all laboratories and serves to receive and track samples and their results as well as generate reports, COAs and labels.
Here we will focus on how QLIMS supports the manufacturing of medicinal cannabis products. The focus will be data management, final product formulations, compliance with GMP guidelines and workflow tracking.
A large number of medicinal cannabis facilities set up across Australia are focused on manufacturing for local and exporting. As such the sampling numbers are going to be very high so a system to effectively manage all that data, maintain traceability and help keep compliant with GMP will be important. As seen from our previous posts, no matter what data you are looking to record and track a LIMS can help.
These are some of the major areas where QLIMS can assist with GMP compliance and improve automation at your manufacturing facility.
These are just a few areas where a robust LIMS can improve your laboratory and business practices. By being modular, tracking the subsidiary and allowing for integration to any other systems involved in your medicinal cannabis laboratory, a professional LIMS such as QLIMS acts as an extension to your staff’s scientific skills and forms a critical part of the supply chain.
If you’re interested in learning more about how a LIMS can benefit your medical cannabis operations or if you have any questions, contact us today to explore how QLIMS can streamline your lab workflows and ensure compliance with industry standards. Let’s take your laboratory management to the next level together!
