Phivida Launches CBD Products into USA Clinical Markets

Phivida Holdings Inc. (CSE:VIDA) is pleased to report the official launch of its clinical grade cannabidiol products into the USA clinical market under the brand name Vida+. The launch of Vida+ CBD is coincided with a national clinical education campaign focused on providing the US alternative healthcare community with validated data on effective cannabinoid therapies.

Phivida’s National Clinical Educational Campaign was developed by the Phivida Clinical Advisory Board through the technical analysis of thousands of randomized clinical trials published on www.pubmed.gov. Educational materials include technical scientific data to health practitioners seeking to incorporate cannabinoid therapeutics into their licensed clinical practice. The campaign is anchored by a cannabinoid health seminar series designed to educate licensed practitioners on the Endocannabinoid System. The series uses clinical efficacy data from published randomized clinical trials on a wide range of inflammation based disorders and diseases. In doing so, the Phivida Clinical Advisory team provides educational tools to the health care community on the most effective cannabinoid therapies in medical practice. Content caters to medical professors, alumni, licensed practitioners and fourth year students entering practicum, to provide applied science to doctors and patients.
As a first initiative in the Phivida National Clinical Education Campaign, Phivida has entered into a strategic partnership with the National University of Natural Medicine (nunm.edu) – the oldest and most recognized naturopathic university in North America. This agreement gives Phivida the rights to educate professors, medical students and licensed practitioners across the Pacific USA on the merits and practices of cannabinoid therapies. In addition to education, the NUNM partnership provides Phivida with the right to incorporate Vida+ professional grade CBD products within on-campus clinics and to partner with NUNM on clinical research. Phivida will pursue additional clinical educational partnerships to top medical research and academic institutions to ensure licensed healthcare practitioners are informed on responsible cannabinoid therapy in clinical practice.
The Phivida-NUNM sponsorship was launched through Phivida’s exhibition at the annual Medical Cannabis Conference at the NUNM campus in Portland, Oregon on July 29th, 2017. Phivida was represented by the Phivida Clinical Advisory Board members who presented as a panel of experts during a two-day interactive workshop. The Phivida Clinical Advisory panel included, Dr. Sunil Pai, MD, Dr. Chris Meletis, ND (and former Dean of NUNM), Dr. Brian Martin, ND (VP of Clinical Products) and Dr. Joost Luecker, PhD (VP of Regulation and Research), who presented the cannabinoid health seminar series, sponsored by Phivida. The conference is now available to the public in video format at; https://vimeo.com/user49525598/review/228418001/c82589a7dd.
Post the NUNM conference, the Phivida cannabinoid health seminar series was officially registered for CME (Continuing Medical Education) credits with the Oregon Board of Naturopathic Medicine (OBNM). This body mandates that practicing Naturopathic Doctors must accumulate CME credits annually to maintain medical licensing, in good standing, within the state of Oregon. A post-event audience attendance performance report tallied a 95% registration rate to offer the Vida+ line of CBD products in their licensed alternative health care clinics.
Dr. Chris Meletis, Phivida Clinical Advisor is quoted as saying; “As the former dean of NUNM, I am very proud to continue my medical education career with Phivida. The Phivida education series at NUNM and at the A4M Congress was a great success. We were thrilled to deliver validated clinical data to a global audience of alternative health care practitioners to give them the information they need to incorporate cannabinoids into clinical practice. A special thank you to NUNM, to the Phivida Families Program team, as well as the good people at Athletes for Care (athletesforcare.org) for joining Phivida at the A4M Congress and assisting us in educating the alternative health care market on the efficacy of cannabinoid therapies.”
The Phivida National Clinical Education Campaign is the central pillar in a three-pronged strategy of; research, education and sponsorship under the Phivida Families public relations program. This includes a limited access sponsorship of families with children or elderly parents diagnosed with disorders that cannabinoids are widely studied to treat. Phivida donated thousands of CBD products to patients across the United States and will aim to publish preliminary data and patient testimonials for additional anecdotal evidence for symptom relief.
Phivida’s National Clinical Education Campaign has been further validated by a World Health Organization (“WHO”) Report¹ confirming that Cannabidiol (“CBD”) is non-toxic, non-psychoactive, non-addictive, and medicinal with a detailed analysis of the Therapeutic and Epidemiology of Medical Use in clinical practice. The WHO report sets a strong precedence for a global shift towards the adoption of full spectrum hemp oil extracts into clinical practice among integrated health care practitioners. The report was published while the Phivida Clinical Advisory team was attending the A4M World Congress, leading several lectures on cannabinoid therapies. The A4M conference resulted in a depletion of all remaining Vida+ inventory, however, due to a successful initial public offering, the company is now fully capitalized to enter into large scale production and marketing in 2018.
The global health and wellness industry reached $1 trillion in 2017.² More specifically, the US alternative medicine market is forecasted at $196.87USD billion by 2025, with botanicals as the lead category.³ Bedrock institutions of western medicine, such as WHO, have recognized the efficacy of whole plant alternatives and cannabidiol based therapies. Cannabinoid pharmacology provides practitioners with natural plant based alternatives to opiate pharmaceuticals for the treatment of chronic pain and inflammation based disorders and a relief to a global opiate addiction epidemic. According to the Centers for Disease Control, opioids were involved in 33,091 deaths in 2015, and opioid overdoses have quadrupled since 1999⁴.
Phivida President and CEO, John Belfontaine reports “We are very proud to have an opportunity to share our knowledge and resources on cannabinoid pharmacology with integrated and alternative health care practitioners. On behalf of the board, I would like to thank Dr. David Schleich, NUNM, and Athletes for Care for their partnerships. I would also like to recognize the Phivida Clinical Advisory Board and program management for their incredible work to date. Phivida recognizes the need for the industry to take a leadership role in educating the US alternative health care market on the clinical efficacy of cannabinoids from hemp. We encourage our valued colleagues in the industry, as well the medical research academy to join us in this pursuit.”
Phivida is dedicated to research, education and investing back into the communities we serve to ensure the needs of patients are being met, and practitioners have the tools they need to administer cannabinoid therapies and whole plant natural alternatives in their clinical practice. Phivida is seeking additional accretive partnerships with top medical research centres and institutions around the world to educate doctors on the fundamentals of cannabinoid science.  Phivida encourages the greater cannabis and hemp industry to assist in educating the medical community in understanding the science behind the Endocannabinoid System and to continue sponsoring research in the field.
For more information on Phivida visit www.phivida.com or join our social media network @Phivida. For investor information please email us at IR@phivida.com.   
About Phivida
Phivida [“fiii-vee-daa”] is a publicly traded company listed on the Canadian Securities Exchange under the ticker symbol “VIDA”. Phivida is a premiere brand of cannabidiol (“CBD“) infused functional foods, beverages and clinical health products, poised for global distribution. Using nanoencapsulation technology, Phivida converts lipid based cannabinoids into water soluble delivery format, enhancing bioavailability, and timed release within the body. Phivida’s nanoencapsulated CBD is infused into CBD beverages, foods and supplements containing a proprietary blend of phyto-nutraceuticals studied to target a range of health conditions, from chronic pain to terminal diseases. Phivida Enhanced Inc. (a wholly owned subsidiary of Phivida Holdings Inc.) is the clinical division of Phivida responsible for the formulation, manufacturing and distribution of the professional line clinical products under the brand name Vida+. These clinical grade CBD products include sublinguals, tablets and other full spectrum CBD-hemp oil extract infused nutraceuticals and natural health products. The Vida+ label is a professional line of products, clinical grade for higher potency and are third party laboratory tested for cannabinoid potency, terpenes, residual solvents, heavy metals, bacteria and pesticides. Celebrating; Health and Wellness, In Harmony™, Phivida’s mission is to lead the alternative health care sector as the benchmark quality standard in premium cannabinoid infused foods, beverages and clinical products.
About Cannabidiol (“CBD”)
A 2013 literature review published in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, CBD studies include exploration into the following medical properties: Anti-convulsion, inflammation, anxiety, and nausea in animal studies, antitumor activity on human breast carcinoma by inhibiting cancer cell growth. Cannabinoids, (especially CBD) are widely studied for their general preventative and therapeutic effects on inflammation based disorders such as; pain, anxiety, insomnia, appetite, and researched for their potentially curative properties on; glandular cancer (brain, breast, thyroid, prostate, etc.) and Neurodegenerative diseases (MS, Alzheimer’s, Epilepsy, etc.). The lack of psychoactivity of CBD-rich cannabis varieties make it an appealing treatment option for patients seeking natural plant treatments without the side effects of THC and the fact that Phivida uses hemp derived CBD from permitted farms protected under the 2014 Farm Bill and Cole Memorandum, Vida+ products are eligible for sale in alternative health care clinics across the United States.
Safe Harbour
This press release contains “forward-looking information” within the meaning of Canadian securities laws, which may include, but are not limited to, statements relating to the Company’s use of the proceeds of the Offering and the trading date of the Common Shares. Such forward-looking information reflects Phivida’s views with respect to future events and is subject to risks, uncertainties and assumptions, including those set out in the Prospectus. Phivida does not undertake to update forward-looking statements or forward-looking information, except as required by law. No securities regulatory authority has either approved or disapproved of the contents of this news release. The Common Shares have not been, nor will they be, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or any state securities laws, and may not be offered or sold in the United States, or to or for the account or benefit of any person in the United States, absent registration or an applicable exemption from the registration requirements. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any common shares in the United States, or in any other jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. We seek safe harbour.