CanniMed Ltd. Supply of Medical Marijuana Confirmed for 10,000 New Patients

Patients need not be concerned

SASKATOON, March 19, 2014 /CNW/ - Amid the speculation and concern surrounding the supply of medical marijuana available to Canadians on April 1^st when the new Marihuana for Medical Purposes Regulations (MMPR) comes into full effect, today CanniMed Ltd. announced that their supply of pharmaceutical-grade cannabis will be sufficient to fulfil an additional 10,000 new patient orders immediately upon patient registration. Additionally, CanniMed's facility expansion scheduled to be complete by the end of June 2014 will increase the total patient capacity to 25,000.

"As soon as we received our license in the Fall of 2013, we strategically planned to increase our production output to ensure that Canadians who rely on medical marijuana for their chronic or terminal illnesses wouldn't be left without a supply of medication," said Brent Zettl, CEO, CanniMed Ltd. "Right now, we have produced enough of our four varieties of pharmaceutical-grade cannabis for those who will be transitioning their license under the new system, and our production facility expansion is almost complete to ensure our production output expands exponentially by the summer."

CanniMed Ltd. currently produces four varieties of medical marijuana containing a range of the two main active ingredients: delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD):

• CanniMed 22•1 - containing 22.0% THC and 0.7% CBD
• CanniMed 17•1 - containing 17.0% THC and 0.7% CBD
• CanniMed 12•0 - containing 12.5% THC and less than 0.5% CBD
• CanniMed 9•9 - containing 9.0% THC and 9.5% CBD

THC is thought to be responsible for the psychoactive effects and has also been shown to be responsible for medical marijuana's immunosuppressive, anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties. CBD, which lacks nearly any psychoactive effect, is responsible for giving medical marijuana its anti-inflammatory, analgesic, anti-nausea, anti-emetic, anti-psychotic, anti-ischemic, anxiolytic and anti-epileptic effects.

For those patients who previously received their medical marijuana supply from Health Canada, the CanniMed 12•0 product is the same variety as they have relied on in the past. As of April 30, 2014, CanniMed will also be making available CanniMed 1•13 (0.7% THC; 13.0% CBD) and patients are welcome to put in their order now for shipment in early May.

To date, CanniMed Ltd. has seamlessly transitioned a handful of patients through to the new MMPR program.

"We are actively encouraging patients to connect with us regarding our products and what varieties of pharmaceutical-grade cannabis we should consider producing in the future," added Mr. Zettl. "It continues to be our goal to provide our patients with a wide range of varieties consistent with the needs expressed for managing the effects of different ailments and diseases."

About CanniMed

CanniMed Ltd. was the first producer to be licensed under the new Marihuana for Medical Purposes Regulations (MMPR). Our pharmaceutical-grade marijuana is produced under Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) regulations, the criteria used to manufacture all pharmaceuticals in Canada.

We are committed to standardizing care by taking a leadership role in closing the gap between the anecdotal benefit of medical marijuana and evidenced-based scientific research.  Our goal is to provide improved access for Canadians who rely on medical marijuana through scientific collaborations with external partners including academic institutions and healthcare professionals.

Our primary focus is patient safety by strictly following a 281 point quality control process.

Image with caption: "CanniMed Ltd. logo (CNW Group/CanniMed Ltd.)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20140319_C6122_PHOTO_EN_38153.jpg

SOURCE: CanniMed Ltd.

CanniMed Ltd.
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Email: [email protected]

Dara Willis
Dara Willis Communications
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Email: [email protected]