A Canadian company that makes cannabis-based medical products has taken its relationship with Swiss drugmaker Novartis’ generics arm global.

Nanaimo, British Columbia-based Tilray said Tuesday that it signed a global framework agreement with Sandoz, which could potentially allow for global commercialization of the medical marijuana’s products in countries where they are legal. It builds off of an alliance between the two that was announced on March 19.

Shares of Tilray on the Nasdaq were up nearly 10 percent on the news when markets opened Tuesday and are currently trading around 20 percent above their Monday closing price of $65.89. The company went public in June.

To be sure, the deal is a framework agreement that lays out opportunities for global collaboration, as opposed to a firm deal. Nevertheless, it would provide extensive opportunities for Tilray to market its products with Sandoz’s help.

“This agreement represents a major milestone in the movement to provide access to safe, [Good Manufacturing Practice]-certified medical cannabis to patients in need across the world,” Tilray CEO Brendan Kennedy said in a statement.

Tilray currently markets its products in 12 countries and has operations in Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Portugal and Latin America, as well as in Canada. The framework agreement would allow Sandoz to support global commercialization of Tilray medical cannabis products that are not smokable or combustible; co-branding of those products by the two companies; education of pharmacists and physicians; development of new cannabis-based products; and licensing of rights.

2018 has seen significant milestones for medical use of marijuana, including in the US. In June, the Food and Drug Administration gave the first-ever green light to a pharmaceutical product with a marijuana plant-based ingredient, GW Pharmaceuticals’ Epidiolex (cannabidiol), for Lennox-Gastaut syndrome and Dravet syndrome, two rare and severe forms of epilepsy. The drug became available for prescription in the US on Nov. 1.

Medical marijuana is currently legal in 23 states, while recreational use of marijuana by adults is legal in 10 states and the District of Columbia, according to the National Cannabis Industry Association. Canada legalized recreational marijuana nationwide in October.

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