BARRIE, Ontario, Oct. 23, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — MediPharm Labs Corp. (TSX: LABS) (OTCQX: MEDIF) (FSE: MLZ) (the “Company”) a global leader in specialized, research-driven cannabis extraction, distillation, purification and cannabinoid isolation, is pleased to announce its wholly-owned subsidiary, MediPharm Labs Inc. (“MediPharm Labs”), has entered into a four-year strategic alliance with Loyalist College of Applied Arts & Technology (“Loyalist”) for education, training, development and applied research projects in collaboration with its Cannabis Applied Science program, the first post-graduate certificate of its kind in Canada.
“MediPharm Labs is pleased to partner with the forward-thinking team at Loyalist to help shape the future of the cannabis industry through innovative research and by contributing to the development of the next generation of cannabis scientists and professionals,” says Pat McCutcheon, Chief Executive Officer of MediPharm Labs. “The possibilities for unique product development and further advancements in cannabis processing methodologies and technology are very exciting, made possible by uniting our respective skills and expertise through this unique private/public partnership.”
MediPharm Labs will donate a total of $100,000 in value of cannabis concentrates, full spectrum extract, specially formulated distillates and/or isolates over the four-year alliance, for applied research projects conducted in collaboration with students and researchers at Loyalist’s Applied Research Centre for Natural Products and Medical Cannabis – Technology Access Centre. Utilizing green technologies, including supercritical CO2 extraction, research projects will focus on cannabis product development, inform process optimization, and address natural product quality, consistency and safety. Through annual field trips and work-integrated placements at MediPharm Lab’s advanced processing facility, students will learn about Good Manufacturing Practices (“GMP”) and industrial-scale supercritical CO2 extraction, short-path distillation and chromatography for high-quality cannabinoid-based derivatives.
“Loyalist College is very proud to partner with MediPharm Labs,” says Dr. Ann Marie Vaughan, Loyalist College President and CEO. “This alliance demonstrates our capacity to collaboratively support commercially relevant applied research while facilitating student learning experiences. With advanced equipment and analytics, our industry-leading labs support education and training of students and industry personnel, while enhancing innovation, productivity and global competitiveness of industry partners.”
Results of the applied research projects that develop from this partnership will be accessible to MediPharm Labs to incorporate into its platform built to GMP standards. This collaboration will strengthen MediPharm Labs’ capability to be a lead player in the marketplace.
About MediPharm Labs Corp.
Founded in 2015, MediPharm Labs specializes in the production of purified, pharmaceutical-like cannabis oil and concentrates and advanced derivative products utilizing a Good Manufacturing Practices designed facility and ISO standard built clean rooms. MediPharm Labs has invested in an expert, research driven team, state-of-the-art technology, downstream purification methodologies and purpose-built facilities with five primary extraction lines having 300,000 kg of annual processing capacity to deliver pure, trusted and precision-dosed cannabis products for its customers. Through its wholesale, white label and tolling platforms, they formulate, process, package and distribute cannabis extracts and advanced cannabinoid-based products to domestic and international markets. As a global leader, the Company also completed its first commercial export to Australia in June 2019 and is nearing completion of its Australian extraction facility expected in 2019 with 75,000 kg of annual processing capacity.
About Loyalist College
Loyalist is Ontario’s Destination College, empowering students, faculty, staff, and partners through experiential, industry cluster-based education, training and applied research programs. The College provides job-ready graduates for, and knowledge transfer to, industry and the community. Of 2017-18 Loyalist graduates, 88.5% percent were employed within six months after graduation. Located on more than 200 acres in the beautiful Bay of Quinte region, the College is perfectly positioned between Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal. Loyalist offers more than 70 full-time diploma, certificate and apprenticeship programs in biosciences, building sciences, business, community service, health and wellness, media studies, public safety, and skilled trades. Continuing education options are available through LoyalistFocus.com; including hundreds of online, distance and in-class courses; and through the College’s 100+ university transfer agreements. Loyalist is a key driver of social and economic health in eastern Ontario. It contributes 5.8 percent of the Gross Regional Product, representing $465 million annually to the regional economy – based on an October 2018 report by Emsi. For more information on Loyalist’s Belleville and Bancroft campuses and Port Hope satellite location, visit youregoingplaces.com.
Loyalist College’s Cannabis Applied Science Program
Loyalist College’s eight-month Cannabis Applied Science (CSGS) Ontario College post-graduate certificate program is the first of its kind in Canada. It allows students to build on their Ontario College diploma, degree or equivalent in the Sciences, Biology or a related discipline with in-depth skills to support cannabis product development, inform process optimization, and address natural product quality, consistency and safety. Cannabis Applied Science students learn in Loyalist’s Applied Research Centre for Natural Products and Medical Cannabis (ARC), a state-of-the-art Health Canada licensed facility, using advanced extraction technologies, and outside the classroom during a field placement with Licensed Producers where they apply their knowledge to real-world challenges. Students navigate cannabis regulations, investigate tissue culture, formulation and advanced product development while developing a range of lab techniques for the extraction and analysis of cannabis, which can provide them and their employers with a competitive advantage. The program, which was developed based on extensive consultation with Licensed Producers and industry experts across the sector, focuses on green technologies, including supercritical CO2 extraction, to support industry’s transition away from the use of petrochemical solvents. It prepares students for new career opportunities, ranging from roles such as cannabis quality assurance manager and lead processing technician to formulation chemist. Applications for the program are accepted through ontariocolleges.ca.
Loyalist College’s Applied Research Centre for Natural Products and Medical Cannabis
In June 2019, Loyalist College launched Canada’s first Technology Access Centre (TAC) for Natural Products and Cannabis. Loyalist College was the recipient of a $1,750,000 Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) College and Community Innovation (CCI) Program grant over five years to launch the TAC. In addition, Loyalist received $1M through the Canada Foundation for Innovation’s (CFI) College-Industry Innovation Fund (CIIF) to add specialized equipment. As a TAC, Loyalist is building on the ARC’s 15 years of natural product extraction expertise and analysis-based applied research. In transitioning to a TAC, Loyalist’s ARC is significantly increasing the College’s capacity to lead applied research of commercially relevant natural products and cannabis, and to support innovation by enhancing industries’ access to sector-relevant expertise and technology. Loyalist offers companies across Canada a supportive, community-oriented platform from which to enhance their productivity, expand their reach and augment their competitiveness in the global market.
For further information, please contact:
Laura Lepore, Vice President, Investor Relations & Communications
Telephone: 705-719-7425 ext 216
Email: investors@medipharmlabs.com
Website: www.medipharmlabs.com
CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING INFORMATION:
This news release contains “forward-looking information” and “forward-looking statements” (collectively, “forward-looking statements”) within the meaning of the applicable Canadian securities legislation. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements and are based on expectations, estimates and projections as at the date of this news release. Any statement that involves discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions, future events or performance (often but not always using phrases such as “expects”, or “does not expect”, “is expected”, “anticipates” or “does not anticipate”, “plans”, “budget”, “scheduled”, “forecasts”, “estimates”, “believes” or “intends” or variations of such words and phrases or stating that certain actions, events or results “may” or “could”, “would”, “might” or “will” be taken to occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking statements. In this news release, forward-looking statements relate to, among other things, product development and further advancements in cannabis processing methodologies and technology, completion of the Company’s Australian facility and timing thereof, and expected processing capacity of the Australian facility. Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable, are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors which may cause the actual results and future events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to: general business, economic, competitive, political and social uncertainties; the inability of the Company to obtain adequate financing; the delay or failure to receive regulatory approvals; and other factors discussed in the Company’s filings, available on the SEDAR website at www.sedar.com. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release. Except as required by law, the Company assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements of beliefs, opinions, projections, or other factors, should they change.
