POINT ROBERTS, Wash. and KELOWNA, British Columbia, Nov. 02, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- PRESS RELEASE -- Investorideas.com, a global news source covering leading sectors including marijuana and hemp stocks, has released a sector snapshot with a focus on new and innovative delivery systems coming to market.
Through the month of September, larger Canadian cannabis companies including Aphria Inc., which has commenced trading on the NYSE, have been investing heavily in new cannabis delivery systems. These technologies have the ability to afford consumers a safer alternative to other routes of cannabinoid delivery, many of which have detrimental health effects.
The global trend is in play in the U.S. as well. This past Wednesday, The Greater Cannabis Company, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on development and commercialization of innovative delivery systems for the cannabis market, announced “the completion of development and reformulation of its eluting patch (EPP) for cannabinoid use. The EPP has been successfully developed in the past for pharmaceutical and over the counter (OTC) products, as well as for oral health applications. In preparation for commercializing cannabinoid products, the company completed extensive testing of its new formulations. The cannabinoid transmucosal patch was found to have additional benefits over those previously mentioned, and which can be found on the company’s website. GCAN’s product allows consumers to absorb cannabinoids through the vascular buccal mucosa (cheek) directly into the bloodstream, and bypass the GI tract. They look like Listerine fresh breath strips, but instead of melting in your mouth right away, they have bioadhesive properties that allow the thin films to unobtrusively stick to the inside of your mouth. The cannabinoid actives loaded on the thin films absorb through the very vascular oral cavity and go right into the bloodstream. The delivery system also has a mechanism that allows for an initial rapid release of CBD/THC followed by a slow and gradual release of the cannabinoids on subsequent layers of the same thin film. The intent behind the fully dissolvable patch is to offer consumers a needle-free systemic delivery of cannabinoids, while effectively bypassing the digestive and hepatic systems, and without the side effects typically found with smoking or vaping.
“The company has entered into a new stage of aggressively ramping up its efforts to commercialize the technology through sublicensing and joint venture agreements. Target partners include licensed producers and dealers in the United States, Canada and abroad, as well as pharmaceutical companies focused on cannabinoids therapies.”
According to the company’s news–“New delivery systems are making their way into the industry. By way of example–the industry is fast adopting similar delivery technologies as seen in recent transactions.”
Standardized and controlled dosing is driving cannabis companies strategic direction, and what may been fueling many of these delivery system transactions
Aurora Cannabis Inc. announced it acquired an equity stake in CTT Pharmaceutical Holdings Inc. back in September of this year, converting the $1,000,000 USD/5 percent debenture into equity shares of CT, giving an approximate 9.14 percent equity ownership stake in CTT while still holding a warrant which enables Aurora to increase its equity ownership to 42.5 percent. CTT’s principal asset is patented drug delivery technology, an orally administered, fast-dissolving, thin film. This technology platform will target both the human and veterinary markets for treatment of many diseases. The company believes that its wafer technology will be one of the first to gain use in major markets such as pain management. Several Canadian and U.S. patents protect the Oral Thin Film formulation.
From the news, “CTT’s oral fast dissolving drug delivery systems consist of edible Wafers that dissolve without water and within a few seconds after placement in the mouth. The majority of drugs administered using our drug delivery system mirror injections in that they have the ability to enter the bloodstream quickly, are convenient and discrete, and can be administered anywhere. A faster absorption rate is achieved because the mouth contains a very thin mucosa and is extremely vascular. There is no smoke inhalation, less degradation of medication (by bypassing the stomach) and most importantly lower dosage units are required given the efficacy of absorption. Patient compliance is also improved especially with those who have a fear of choking or difficulty swallowing, and/or are pediatric, geriatric or incapacitated.”
Also in September, IntelGenx Corp. announced that it had executed a non-binding letter of intent with Tilray, Inc.to co-develop and commercialize oral film products infused with recreational and medical cannabis, in anticipation of amended cannabis regulations which would allow adult-use consumers to purchase edible products.
“Through the company’s work on VersaFilm with Tilray, IntelGenx Corp has also developed new products out of this technology, specifically RIZAPORT. The company recently announced that its commercialization partner for RIZAPORT (10mg) in Spain, Groupo Juste, which is now part of Exceltis Healthcare, has received national marketing authorization from the Spanish Agency of Medicines and Medical Devices (AEMPS) for the product.
“RIZAPORT is a proprietary oral thin film formulation of rizatriptan for the treatment of acute migraines. RIZAPORT offers an innovative and potentially advantageous therapeutic alternative for many migraine patients, primarily patients who suffer from dysphagia or migraine-related nausea, due to its convenient dosing, facile intake due to the lack of need for water, and neutral flavor.”
Continuing that same September delivery trend, CURE Pharmaceutical announced that “it entered into a multi-year licensing agreement for the first time with a leading international cannabis company, Canopy Growth. Under the terms of the agreement, the cannabis company will have an exclusive license to CURE’s patented, multi-layer oral thin film (OTF) CUREfilm technology for use with cannabis extracts and biosynthetic cannabinoids in markets around the world.
“Whole plant extracted, biosynthesized and synthetic cannabinoids all hold therapeutic promise for given indications and intended uses,” said Rob Davidson, CEO and chairman of CURE Pharmaceutical. At CURE, we focus on synthetic cannabinoids for CUREfilm products, but with our new licensing business model, we will expand the impact and applications of our technology to these other promising approaches by partnering with an industry leader in this market.”
Aphria Inc. was no exception to the move of big cannabis companies buying into cannabis delivery systems. Aphria and Rapid Dose Therapeutics Inc., a Canadian bio-technology company focused on innovative drug delivery solutions, announced as well in September that they have “signed a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding related to RDT's QuickStrip products. Under the terms of the MOU, the companies intend to enter into a definitive agreement in the near future pursuant to which RDT will provide Aphria with exclusive global preferred rights to produce, distribute and sell QuickStrip products for cannabis markets around the world.”
According to their news, “Aphria is committed to bringing breakthrough innovations to the global cannabis market, which is why we are excited to introduce RDT as a strategic innovation partner,” said Jakob Ripshtein, chief commercial officer at Aphria. “They have developed a truly innovative product that will offer both patients and consumers a new way to consume and experience cannabis. We eagerly anticipate launching QuickStrip delivery technology across our portfolio of medical and adult-use brands and look forward to extending this valuable partnership to other markets around the world.”
Seeing the amount of deal flow in the sector, the CEO is ramping up the roll-out for The Greater Cannabis Company, Inc. (OTC: GCAN). The company’s sole focus now is to bring its licensed technology to market. “The technology has the ability to afford consumers a safer alternative to other routes of cannabinoid delivery, many of which have detrimental health effects. As part of its strategic initiative, the company is seeking to expand its sales team with the intent to grow deal flow, and accelerate the sales cycle.”