A cannabis plant brought to the Israeli Knesset (Kobi Gideon/Flash 90)

(JTA) — Teva Pharmaceutical Industries of Israel will market and distribute a cannabis inhaler in the country, becoming the first major medical company in the world to do so.

Teva signed an agreement to exclusively market and distribute the inhaler developed and manufactured by the Tel Aviv-based company Syqe Medical, the companies said in a statement Monday.

Syqe said it was the first time that a major global pharmaceutical company would market a medical cannabis product, according to The Times of Israel. The inhaler has been used at the Rambam Hospital in Haifa.

Israel’s Health Ministry was expected to approve the device for use by patients at home by 2017.

“Teva Israel is entering the field of medical cannabis out of a deep commitment to patients coping with pain, which is one of the company’s core therapeutic areas,” said its CEO, Avinoam Sapir, according to The Times of Israel.

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