FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
BARRIE, Ontario, August 26, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- MediPharm Labs Corp., (TSX: LABS) (OTCQX: MEDIF) (FSE: MLZ) (“MediPharm Labs” or the “Company”) a global leader in specialized, research-driven pharmaceutical-quality cannabis extraction, distillation and derivative products, today announced its wholly-owned subsidiary, MediPharm Labs Inc., has launched and completed production of a new product format, sublingual sprays, as part of its multi-faceted strategic pharmaceutical manufacturing agreement with Avicanna Inc. (TSX: AVCN) (OTCQX: AVCNF) (FSE: 0NN) (“Avicanna”), a leading biopharmaceutical company.
Marketed under Avicanna’s RHO Phyto™ medical brand, the high-performance RHO Phyto Rapid Act Sprays will be available nationally to Canadian medical patients through the Medical Cannabis by ShoppersTM online healthcare platform in the coming weeks. RHO Phyto Rapid Act Sprays are optimized for increased absorption and faster onset in comparison to basic MCT (medium-chain triglyceride) sublingual sprays. The products are discreet, easy to use, administered under the tongue to provide more direct absorption into the bloodstream, convenient and pleasing to taste.
“Avicanna chose MediPharm Labs to be their manufacturing partner across a wide range of product formulations because of our pharmaceutical-quality production capabilities and I’m proud to say these were used to great effect in fulfilling this important order,” said Pat McCutcheon, CEO, MediPharm Labs. “Medical cannabis users will be delighted with the quality and reliability of RHO Phyto Rapid Act Sprays and more broadly with the fact that Avicanna is leading the way in bringing new and innovative sustainable plant-derived cannabinoid-based products to assist in their care and wellbeing.”
The alliance between the two companies is designed to provide patients and the medical community with the most advanced product offerings backed by scientific rigour, data and world-class quality standards. Avicanna has a rich pipeline of formulations that it has developed over the past four years in collaboration with leading Canadian research institutions.
“The team at MediPharm continues to impress as they deliver sophisticated cannabinoid formulations in innovative delivery formats with pharmaceutical level quality standards,” said Aras Azadian, CEO, Avicanna. "Our RHO Phyto Rapid Act Sprays, which are the second set of products delivered by MediPharm’s technical team within only one month, provide patients and the medical community with an advanced solution for acute relief and an incredible candidate for replacing inhalation products."
On May 14, 2020, MediPharm Labs entered a 3-year, multi-faceted agreement with Avicanna involving production, domestic and international distribution and intellectual property licensing that will drive growth for both parties. Under the manufacturing segment of the agreement, MediPharm Labs uses its specialized capabilities to produce Avicanna’s advanced RHO Phyto™ medical cannabis products and Pura Earth™ dermacosmetic topicals. The RHO Phyto Rapid Act Sprays represent the second Avicanna product format produced at MediPharm Labs GMP-certified facility in Barrie, Ontario. The first was Rho Phyto’s Blood Orange flavoured Micro Drops, in both high CBD and medium CBD formulas, made from full spectrum cannabis distillate. Additional product formats, including topicals, capsules and transdermal patches, are being finalized for production under the contract manufacturing agreement.
Growing Medical Cannabis Product Offerings
The introduction of Avicanna’s RHO Phyto Rapid Act Sprays is another example of the maturation of the Canadian medical cannabis market and MediPharm Labs growing share of the contract manufacturing space.
As online and retail healthcare clinics expand to provide cannabis users with greater access to product formulations and invaluable information and advice on strains and product classes, customer preferences are now beginning to emerge. This is elevating the importance of quality formulations from trusted brand names. Through contract manufacturing and white label agreements with brand leaders, as well as its own expanding portfolio of pharma-quality products produced from its GMP-certified facilities in Canada and Australia, MediPharm Labs is well positioned to address emerging and growing market needs.
At the end of Q2, MediPharm Labs had 60 concentrate-based product SKUs in production for medical, wellness and adult-use brands – including high-potency formulated oils, vapourizer cartridges, topicals and sublingual sprays.
“We continue to build our capabilities both in product innovation and flexible manufacturing, supported by a distinguished team of researchers and production professionals with deep pharma experience,” said Mr. McCutcheon. “We are systematically executing on our vision as a differentiated, international pharma company and partner to leading medical, wellness and adult-use brands.”
Spray Filling
Sublingual Spray Filling at MediPharm Labs involves precision manufacturing, packaging and quality testing. MediPharm Labs provides a variety of services, depending on customer needs including formulation, sensory testing, processing, packaging, labelling, and distribution of cannabis extracts and advanced cannabinoid-based products.