Bod Australia
Bod has been awarded US Hemp Authority Certification for its CBD extract and CBD products sold in the US under its CBII brand via Health and Happiness Group.
The US Hemp Authority is an independent self-regulatory body for the domestic hemp and CBD sector. Its certification program is an industry initiative to ensure the highest standards, best practices and self-regulation to underpin consumer and retailer confidence in hemp and CBD products.
The 12-month process included third-party verification of Bod’s CBD extract, stringent lab testing for contaminants and THC limits, as well as ensuring synthetic cannabinoids were not used, that labelling was correct and that batches were traceable back to original hemp plant material.
CEO Jo Patterson said the certification “adds to the growing list of regulatory recognition for Bod’s extract which has already been validated in both the UK and the US” and would “provide consumers with added confidence in [our] products”.
Neurotech International
Neurotech International has appointed Nemean Group founder Dr Thomas Duthy as a consultant with a focus on investor relations and strategic corporate development.
Nemean provides corporate advisory and investor relations services in the life sciences and technology sectors.
Prior to establishing the firm four years ago, Dr Duthy was head of corporate development and investor relations at Sirtex Medical, which was acquired for A$1.9 billion by CDH Investments in September 2018, the largest medical device acquisition in Australian corporate history.
Dr Duthy will also join the board as an executive director in September.
Meanwhile, current non-executive director Mark Davies has been appointed as chairman of the board, replacing Brian Leedman who has resigned to pursue other corporate interests, effective immediately.
Thanking Leedman on behalf of the board, Davies said: “Brian… has led the company through a period of significant growth both in terms of clinical development of our lead strain NTI164 and share price appreciation.”
Emyria
Emyria and the University of Western Australia (UWA) have received positive screening results from a third batch of MDMA analogues sent to Eurofins for analysis.
All 19 compounds successfully passed screening at the test concentrations, with no evidence of significant interaction with any of the enzymes or cell receptors (‘anti-targets’) that can be associated with unwanted clinical side effects.
Some 125 compounds have now been successfully created and screened as part of Emyria’s New Drug Discovery Program, including 45 new MDMA analogues created since the start of the collaboration with UWA.
Emyria said multiple preclinical programs are underway to evaluate the potential of a select group of high priority compounds to become registered medicines.
Managing director Dr Michael Winlo added: “These latest positive screening results will help guide the creation of the next batch of novel MDMA-inspired compounds for our drug discovery portfolio.
“[They] will also help inform which leads to advance to preclinical screening in our three, high-priority areas; next generation psychedelic-assisted therapies as well as potential treatments for unmet neurological and non-neurological conditions.”
Creso Pharma
Creso Pharma subsidiary Halucenex Life Sciences has reached the penultimate step before its psilocybin clinical trial can go ahead after securing an amendment from Health Canada for its Clinical Trial Authorisation.
The Phase 2 trial will assess the efficacy of psilocybin in treating symptoms associated with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
The amendment will allow patient groups already using other medication for PTSD management to participate in the trial, if selected by Halucenex, and enable the firm to collect data around psilocybin’s use alongside other pharmacological treatments.
Halucenex has made the final Ethics Review Board submissions, and expects to receive a decision soon.
Creso Pharma managing director and CEO William Lay said: “This clinical trial has the potential to unlock a new and natural alternative to current pharmacological treatments used by PTSD sufferers, while unlocking a new market for the company.
“We continue to liaise with our Ethics Review Board, potential patient groups and all clinical trial personnel and expect to administer first dosages to patients in or around September 2022 subject to ethics review approval.”
