Tetra Bio-Pharma accelerates its clinical research program i
Tetra Bio-Pharma accelerates its clinical research program in the veterinary market by entering into agreement with Dr. Louis-Philippe de Lorimier
11 September, 2017 OTTAWA, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - Sept. 11, 2017) - Tetra Bio-Pharma Inc. ("Tetra" or the "Company") (TSX VENTURE:TBP)(OTCQB:TBPMF), today announced that it has added international expert Dr. Louis-Philippe de Lorimier, a board certified veterinary oncologist, to its clinical advisory board for the veterinary market.
"We are leveraging our current R&D work in humans to accelerate the development of the first cannabinoid-based drug for pets in the cancer-associated supportive therapy market, including pain. This market is underserved and patients and their owner are waiting for alternatives that are safer, more tolerable and more efficacious. We believe that our collaboration with Dr. de Lorimier will bring significant contributions to the launch of the first Health Canada approved drug for pets using cannabinoid-based active ingredients," states Dr. Guy Chamberland, Chief Scientific Officer (CSO) of Tetra.
Once approved, the trial will be run at private veterinary clinics across Canada, which treats tens of thousands of animals every year. Cancer is the leading cause of death in pets, affecting 50% of dogs above age 8, and 40% of cats above 10 years of age. Tetra is developing cannabis-based products for the treatment of acute and chronic conditions that affect domestic animals, including cats, dogs and horses. The company is going to use its pharmaceutical formulation and drug development expertise to bring innovative therapies to veterinarians. Animals suffer from conditions that are similar to those affecting humans, such as cancer, nausea, appetite loss, anxiety, ophthalmologic diseases, and chronic pain. Pet owners want the safest and most effective therapies for their animals as well as cost effective therapies. According to the American Pet Products Association, in 2016 consumers in the USA spent $66.75 billion dollars on pets. $15.75 billion dollars was spent on veterinary care. According to different market studies, the veterinary cancer therapeutic market is expected to reach USD $300 million by 2024. Cannabis-based therapies can target multiple clinical signs including pain, appetite, and nausea, thereby making the veterinary therapeutics market ideal for Tetra. Tackling these markets will allow Tetra to maximize its investment on several of its current drug therapies being developed for comparable human conditions.
"With our recent addition of Dr. Anne-Sophie Courtois - who has a veterinary doctor's degree - as VP of Marketing, along with the world class research we are going to be conducting with Dr. de Lorimier, we are positioning ourselves at the forefront of new therapies in the veterinary market, which is very lucrative and is showing strong growth. This further show how Tetra is establishing itself as the global leader in cannabinoid-based drug discovery and development", commented Mr. Bernard Fortier, CEO.
It is an honour to add Dr. de Lorimier to Tetra's development and commercialization team. His expertise and guidance will help Tetra market safe and effective cannabis-based drug therapies that will help treat pain and nausea, and improve appetite and overall quality of life of pets worldwide.
About Dr. Louis-Philippe de Lorimier, DVM, Dipl. ACVIM (Oncology):
After obtaining a BSc degree from McGill University, Dr. Louis-Philippe de Lorimier earned his veterinary doctorate degree from the Universite of Montreal in 1996. He practiced veterinary medicine in Montreal, Quebec, for 4 years before entering the veterinary oncology residency program at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC). He completed this medical training in 2003 and became board certified by the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine, oncology specialty. He worked as an Associate Professor from 2003 to 2007 at the UIUC and subsequently returned to Canada to join the team of veterinary specialists of Centre Veterinaire Rive-Sud in 2007. Dr. de Lorimier is a member of several national and international veterinary oncology committees. He is the author or co-author of more than 40 scientific articles and over a dozen chapters in veterinary textbooks.
Along with his core expertise in the management of veterinary cancer patients, Dr. de Lorimier's interest in cannabinoid based therapies and his clinical research experience brings considerable expertise to evaluate the safety and efficacy of cannabinoids in pets. Focusing our development on therapies that address unmet medical needs and that can easily be administered to pets is a crucial aspect to commercializing new veterinary drugs. Dr. de Lorimier will be instrumental in guiding TBP's product development to commercialize new therapies that address the management of pets with cancer and that can easily be administered to the animals by the owners.