- RHO Phyto “Micro Drop” oil formulations are the first of the RHO Phyto formulary of advanced medical cannabis products available for patients and health care practitioners on the Medical Cannabis by Shoppers™ platform.
- This product line includes advanced formulations under the “Cannabis 2.0” regulations that have undergone years of research and development and been manufactured under GMP standards at MediPharm Labs Inc.
- The RHO Phyto products are also now available to clinicians and patients at the University Health Network through the Medical Cannabis Real World Evidence study in partnership with Medical Cannabis by Shoppers.
TORONTO, Aug. 12, 2020 – Avicanna Inc. (“Avicanna” or the “Company“) (TSX: AVCN) (OTCQX: AVCNF) (FSE: 0NN), a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development, manufacturing and commercialization of plant-derived cannabinoid-based products, is pleased to announce that its advanced RHO Phyto™ Micro Drop oils are now officially available nationwide in Canada on the Medical Cannabis by Shoppers™ (“Shoppers“) platform as well as through the Medical Cannabis Real-World Evidence study (“MC-RWE study“) at the University Health Network (“UHN“) as announced by the Company on July 15, 2020.
Following years of research and development in collaboration with world class academic and clinical organizations, Avicanna is proud to be launching RHO Phyto, a full formulary of advanced medical cannabis products, for patients and the medical community in Canada. Following the Micro Drop oils, Avicanna expects to launch two advanced sublingual spray formulations in the upcoming weeks. The RHO Phyto product line includes oil drops, sublingual sprays, capsules and topicals with varying ratios of CBD and THC. The RHO Phyto products are designed to address a range of medical conditions that may require various rates of relief. For example, the “Rapid Act” sublingual sprays provide a faster onset of effects than the “Simple Dose” capsules and “Micro Drop” oils. To ensure batch-to-batch consistency and high-quality products, these formulations are manufactured under Good Manufacturing Practices (“GMP“) in partnership with MediPharm Labs Inc. and GMP-level analytical testing is performed by Sigma Analytical Services Inc. All RHO Phyto products will be tracked using blockchain technology developed by TruTrace Technologies Inc. to manage, track and trace each step of the supply chain.
Aras Azadian, CEO of Avicanna commented, “We believe that our RHO Phyto formulary is designed to address numerous gaps in the current medical cannabis framework with respect to patient needs and provide an opportunity to attract new prescribers and patients to medical cannabis solutions. The introduction of a strictly medical line of products, backed by extensive research, pre-clinical data, GMP manufacturing and offered by Shoppers, has the opportunity to set a new standard of care and establish RHO Phyto as the leading medical product line in the medical cannabis market.”
With the patient in mind, RHO Phyto Micro Drop oils are formulated with enhanced absorption, prolonged stability, and consistency. The blood orange flavoured Micro Drop oil 1.6 CBD – 0.06 THC and Micro Drop oil 0.6 CBD – 0.16 THC are available in a 25:1 and 4:1 CBD to THC ratio, respectively. The product name includes the amount in milligrams (mg) of CBD and THC that is delivered per dose. Detailed guidelines about dosing and titration for Health Care Practitioners (“HCPs“) and patients is available on the RHO Phyto website at www.rhophyto.com, as well as on the Avicanna Academy website at https://www.avicanna.com/the-avicanna-academy/, along with additional product information, product guidelines for patients, and frequently asked questions.
As a part of Avicanna’s commercialization strategy, the Company will be providing education and training for HCPs, patients, and medical institutions about medical cannabis and the RHO Phyto product line. Educational materials can be found on the Avicanna Academy website at https://www.avicanna.com/the-avicanna-academy/, including a recording of Avicanna’s 3rd annual symposium that was hosted virtually in partnership with Shoppers on July 21st and was live-streamed by over 1,000 participants.
The Company has also re-branded and re-launched its subsidiary, My Cannabis Clinic (formerly known as MyCannabis), which specializes in assisting patients to gain access to medical cannabis and cannabinoid-based products for medical use. My Cannabis Clinic is devoted to providing HCPs and patients with the support and education needed for medical cannabis use. My Cannabis Clinic believes in providing quality care and education to their patients on the considerations and benefits that medical cannabis has to offer. Information about My Cannabis Clinic can be found at https://mycannabisclinic.org/.
About Avicanna Inc.
Avicanna is a diversified and vertically integrated Canadian biopharmaceutical company focused on the research, development and commercialization of plant-derived cannabinoid-based products for the global consumer, medical, and pharmaceutical market segments.
Avicanna is an established leader in cannabinoid research and development, which it primarily conducts at its R&D headquarters in the Johnson & Johnson Innovation Centre, JLABS @ Toronto, Canada and in collaboration with leading Canadian academic and medical institutions. In addition to its developing pharmaceutical pipeline, Avicanna’s team of experts have developed and commercialized several industry leading product lines, including:
- Pura H&W: an advanced and clinically tested line of CBD consumer dermacosmetic products; and,
- RHO Phyto: an advanced line of medical cannabis products containing varying ratios of CBD and THC currently available nation-wide across Canada in partnership with Medical Cannabis by Shoppers™, a subsidiary of Shoppers Drug Mart. RHO Phyto is the first strictly medical formulary of advanced “Cannabis 2.0” products, containing oils, sprays, capsules, creams, and gels, all developed with scientific rigour, manufactured under GMP standards and supported by pre-clinical data.
With ongoing clinical trials on its dermacosmetic (Pura H&W), medical cannabis (RHO Phyto) and a pipeline of pharmaceutical products, Avicanna’s dedication to researching the important role that cannabinoids play in an increasingly wider scope of products has been at the core of the Company’s vision since its inception. Furthermore, Avicanna’s commitment to education is demonstrated through its annual medical symposium, the Avicanna Academy educational platform, and the My Cannabis Clinic patient program through its subsidiary company.
Avicanna manages its own supply chain including cultivation and extraction through its two majority-owned subsidiaries, Sativa Nativa S.A.S. and Santa Marta Golden Hemp S.A.S., both located in Santa Marta, Colombia. Through these sustainable, economical, and industrial scale subsidiaries, Avicanna cultivates, processes, and commercializes a range of cannabis and hemp cultivars dominant in CBD, CBG, THC, and other cannabinoids for use as active pharmaceutical ingredients. Avicanna’s Avesta Genetica program specializes in the development and optimization of rare cultivars for commercial production along with feminized seeds for global export. In June 2020, Avicanna made history with a shipment of hemp seeds to the United States of America by completing the first ever export of hemp seeds from Colombia.
About My Cannabis Clinic
My Cannabis Clinic, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Avicanna, is an online health care platform that specializes in providing residents of Canada with access to cannabis and cannabinoid products for medical use. My Cannabis Clinic is devoted to providing its patients with support and education needed while using medical cannabis. My Cannabis Clinic believes in providing quality care and education to our patients about the medicinal benefits that cannabis has to offer.
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Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information and Statements
This news release contains “forward-looking information” within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking information contained in this press release may be identified by the use of words such as, “may”, “would”, “could”, “will”, “likely”, “expect”, “anticipate”, “believe, “intend”, “plan”, “forecast”, “project”, “estimate”, “outlook” and other similar expressions, and includes statements with respect to the ability of the Company to launch the RHO Phyto sublingual spray at Shoppers, the ability of the RHO Phyto products to address a range of medical conditions that may require various rates of relief, the ability of the RHO Phyto formulary to address numerous gaps in the current medical cannabis framework as well as patient needs, the ability of the Company to conduct clinical trials using various RHO Phyto products in collaboration with various leading Canadian medical institutions and the likelihood of such clinical trials evaluating the safety, tolerability and efficacy of the RHO Phyto products for treating a range conditions such as chronic pain, inflammatory bowel disorder, and their associated co-morbidities. Forward-looking information is not a guarantee of future performance and is based upon a number of estimates and assumptions of management in light of management’s experience and perception of trends, current conditions and expected developments, as well as other factors relevant in the circumstances, including assumptions in respect of current and future market conditions, the current and future regulatory environment; and the availability of licenses, approvals and permits.
Although the Company believes that the expectations and assumptions on which such forward-looking information is based are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking information because the Company can give no assurance that they will prove to be correct. Actual results and developments may differ materially from those contemplated by these statements. Forward-looking information is subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking information. Such risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to current and future market conditions, including the market price of the common shares of the Company, and the risk factors set out in the Company’s annual information form dated April 15, 2020, filed with the Canadian securities regulators and available under the Company’s profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.
The statements in this press release are made as of the date of this release. The Company disclaims any intent or obligation to update any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or results or otherwise, other than as required by applicable securities laws.
SOURCE Avicanna Inc.
Tags: cannabinoids, CSE, Marijuana, Medical Cannabis by Shoppers, Rho Phyto