Social Life Network Helps Sports Licensee Win Big Online

Source:  Social Life Network, Inc.-November 14, 2017

Social Life Network, Inc. (OTC:  WDLF), a cloud-based social media and social network technology company based in Denver, Colorado, is providing its technology to the sports industry through a licensing agreement with the Sports Social Network, Inc.

Social Life Network established that licensing agreement earlier this year with Sports Social Network, Inc. to provide its AI-based social network and predictive ecommerce platform for their new hunting, fishing, cycling, golfing and racket sports networks. The agreement provides these niche sports networks with state-of-the-art social commerce technology that changes the way merchants connect and service their online shoppers.

Lynn Murphy, Sports Social Network CEO, says their goal is to come up with a game changing social commerce platform that dominates the online retail space, as hundreds of big-box sporting goods stores close down locations across the U.S. (Why sporting goods stores are down for the count - USA TODAY).

"Social Life Network has given us a huge upper hand in both 'speed to market' and in advanced ecommerce technology," he adds, "at a time when companies like Sports Authority, Golfsmith and Eastern Outfitters have liquidated and closed over 500 store locations this past year."

According to Murphy, Sports Social Network has raised more than $250,000 in capital this year to have Social Life Network, Inc. build, launch and assist in their reaching the more than 200 million Americans who will eventually shop online for all of their hunting, fishing, golfing and other sporting goods merchandise through the Sports Social Network technology platforms.
About Social Life Network, Inc. (http://social-life-network.com/)

Social Life Network Supports Capital Raise For Real Estate Licensee

Source:  Social Life Network, Inc.-October 26, 2017

Social Life Network, Inc. (OTC:  WDLF), a cloud-based social media and social network technology company based in Denver Colorado, is providing its technology to the real estate industry through a licensing agreement with the Real Estate Social Network, Inc.

Social Life Network began making its platform and AI technology available to its licensee, the Real Estate Social Network, this past summer. The move was part of an effort to help that firm advance their own social media technology; a group of technologies that is used by residential real estate professionals and online home shoppers.

Britt Glassburn, Real Estate Social Network CEO, has nothing but praise for the team developers and management at Social Life for their rapid deployment and launch of this technology, as they become the company's latest licensee.

''Social Life Network has made the launch of our upcoming technology upgrade unbelievably easy,'' she says, ''and because we haven't had to micro-manage this launch we've been able to focus almost all of our efforts on raising capital.''

According to a press release, Glassburn has been able to raise more than $300,000 in capital to-date this year, mostly from small angel investors with decades of experience in the residential real estate industry.

About Social Life Network, Inc. (http://social-life-network.com/)
Social Life Network is an American for-profit corporation and an online social media and social networking service, based in Denver Colorado. The founders initially launched their social network platform in the emerging cannabis and hemp industry in 2013, but have expanded it to meet the growing demand for niche social networking in the real estate industry and a myriad of sports verticals.

Social Life Network Launches Home Builder Social Listings For Real Estate Licensees

Source:  Social Life Network, Inc.-November 2, 2017

Social Life Network, Inc. (OTC:  WDLF), a cloud-based social media and social network technology company based in Denver Colorado, is providing its ground-breaking technology to the real estate industry through a licensing agreement with the Real Estate Social Network, Inc. On November 1, Britt Glassburn, Real Estate Social Network CEO, announced the official launch of the firm's new home builder technology platform, built on the framework of their existing local Colorado website, ColoradoNewHomes.com.

The launch of this social media technology, via the licensing agreement with Social Life Network, Inc., will create new opportunities for home builders in Colorado, and eventually throughout the United States, to import and export their new home listings from existing enterprise listing databases directly through their social network platform, and from there to virtually any social media channel they have accounts on.

"Social Life Network was tasked by us this past summer to provide a simple-to-use platform for home builders looking to better leverage their existing social media channels, as well as our own social network, here at the Real Estate Social Network," said Glassburn.

"Not only have they hit the mark on this innovative technology, but this application will further change the way the new home construction market approaches online marketing for the more than 60,000 home builders and contractors here in the United States," she added.

According to Social Life Network CEO, Shawn Tapp, a veteran of the digital media industry who helped launch HomeBuilder.com in the late 90s, this latest technology will become another disrupter in the online new home listing sector. Most significant is the creation of a new digital media vertical, the latest step in the evolution of a technology that has not developed as far as it should have, he said, since he helped to build and launch this technology in the real estate industry nearly 20 years ago.
About Social Life Network, Inc. (http://social-life-network.com/)

Social Life Network is an American for-profit corporation and an online social media and social networking service, based in Denver Colorado. The founders initially launched their social network platform in the emerging cannabis and hemp industry in 2013, but have expanded it to meet the growing demand for niche social networking in the real estate industry and a myriad of sports verticals.

Social Life Network Launches Social Network for International Futball Fans

Source:  Social Life Network, Inc.-July 20, 2018

Social Life Network, Inc. (OTCQB: WDLF), a cloud-based social media and social network technology company based in Denver Colorado, announces the official launch of the FutPost.com soccer and futball social network.

Per its licensing agreement, Social Life Network is building and servicing niche sports-related social network platforms for Sports Social Network. The result this summer is FutPost.com; to be accessed by the more than 5 million futball and soccer teams worldwide, and an estimated 3.5 billion international fans.

The soccer and futball social network's official launch comes on the tail-end of the completion of the FIFA World Cup, as the fanbase yearns for better connectivity and social updates to their favorite players, teams and leagues.

"Our focus these past 7 months while building out the network platform has been to create smarter social networks that make it easier for teams, players and fans to connect with each other through the use of our A.I. driven engine," says Peter Bunting, CEO of Sports Social Network. He goes on to say, "We believe the launch of FutPost.com will change the social community aspect of the sport world-wide, because it can connect more than 3 billion international fans on a niche social network that doesn't currently exist anywhere in the world for soccer fans."

Social Life Network, Inc. has a technology license agreement in place that generates revenue based on 20% of the online advertising sales of FutPost.com, and will provide assistance to FutPost for user growth and ability to further monetize the soccer and futball social network.

About Social Life Network, Inc.
Social Life Network is an American for-profit corporation and an online social media and social networking service, based in Denver Colorado. The founders initially launched their social network platform in the emerging cannabis and hemp industry in 2013, but have expanded it to meet the growing demand for niche social networking in the real estate industry and a number of sports verticals. https://www.social-life-network.com/.

Social Life Network Launches Social Network for Hunters and Anglers

Source:  Social Life Network, Inc.-October 19, 2017

Social Life Network, Inc. (OTC:  WDLF), a cloud-based social media and social network technology company based in Denver Colorado, announces the official launch of the HuntPost.com social network.

Per its licensing agreement, Social Life Network is building and servicing niche sports-related social network platforms for Sports Social Network. The result is HuntPost.com; to be accessed by the more than 120 million hunters and fishing enthusiasts in the United States who actively post on sites like Facebook and Twitter.

The hunting and fishing social network's official launch comes after months of beta testing, as well as the ongoing development of an A.I.-driven ecommerce platform that will officially launch by the end of this year.

"Our focus this past year has been to create smarter social networks that make it easier for businesses and entrepreneurs to connect with consumers through the use of A.I.," says Shawn Tapp, CEO of Social Life Network, Inc. "Developing HuntPost.com has been our greatest challenge to date, because it will potentially target more than a billion people around the world in the coming years. We've had to develop systems in advance; including some systems that aren't even scheduled to launch for another year."

The site and mobile apps will be onboarding more than $3 million in unique hunting and fishing products between now and the end of the year, notes Sports Social Network CEO Lynn Murphy.
"It is great to see our state-of-the-art social network and ecommerce technology developed in a way that can rapidly outpace existing big-box sporting goods stores like Cabela's and Bass Pro Shops," he adds.

About Social Life Network, Inc. (http://social-life-network.com/)
Social Life Network is an American for-profit corporation and an online social media and social networking service, based in Denver Colorado. The founders initially launched their social network platform in the emerging cannabis and hemp industry in 2013, but have expanded it to meet the growing demand for niche social networking in the real estate industry and a myriad of sports verticals.

Social Life Network, Inc. Announces Uplisting to OTCQB Market

Source:  Social Life Network, Inc.-July 16, 2018

Social Life Network, Inc. (OTCQB: WDLF), a cloud-based social media and social network technology company based in Denver, Colorado, today announced that the company has commenced trading on the OTCQB Market ("OTCQB") after successfully uplisting from the OTC Pink Market.
"Uplisting to a larger exchange represents a significant accomplishment and an important corporate milestone for Social Life Network,'' stated Mr. Ken Tapp, Chief Executive Officer. ''We are confident that the move will provide us access to a larger investor audience, greater access to capital and provide increased visibility in the marketplace. We look forward to announcing additional achievments, as we continue to strive to establish ourselves as a recognized name in the industry of social media and social networking services."

The OTCQB is considered by the SEC as an "established public market" for the purpose of determining the public market price when registering securities for resale with the SEC. The OTC Pink is not considered as such and most broker-dealers will not trade or recommend OTC Pink stocks. Because the OTCQB dramatically increases transparency, reporting standards, management certification and compliance requirements, the majority of broker-dealers trade stocks on the OTCQB. Historically this has resulted in greater liquidity and awareness for companies that reach the OTCQB tier.

About Social Life Network, Inc.
Social Life Network is an American for-profit corporation and an online social media and social networking service, based in Denver Colorado. The founders initially launched their social network platform in the emerging cannabis and hemp industry in 2013, but have expanded it to meet the growing demand for niche social networking in the real estate industry and a number of sports verticals. https://www.social-life-network.com/

Social Life Network Appoints D. Scott Karnedy as Chief Operating Officer

Source:  Social Life Network, Inc.-October 12, 2017

Social Life Network, Inc. (OTC:  WDLF), a cloud-based social media and social network technology company based in Denver Colorado, is pleased to announce that it has added D. Scott Karnedy to its board of directors and executive staff.

Social Life Network built its social networking and ecommerce technology platform to meet the growing demand for niche social networking around the world. Shawn Tapp, CEO and a fellow digital media veteran, announced that "D.", as he is known, will be joining them at Social Life Network, Inc. as their COO and board member.

D. Scott is a digital media veteran with 30 years experience. He held the position of Senior Vice President at Myspace and was head of global sales there, as well as head of Sales & Marketing Solutions at Sirius XM. He also served as Chief Revenue Officer at IndiWire and Technicolor and held executive sales positions for digital media at AOL, iHeartRadio and CBS Radio.

"Social Life Network has spent the past year in search for the right person that can hit the ground running and achieve our lofty revenue goals," says Tapp, "and I couldn't be happier to have D. Scott Karnedy in charge of building our global sales and marketing team. He too has been part of the ever-changing landscape of digital media these past three decades, and he understands how our social networking technology is best positioned to business professionals in the niche industries that we've targeted."

About Social Life Network, Inc. (http://social-life-network.com/)
Social Life Network is an American for-profit corporation and an online social media and social networking service, based in Denver Colorado. The founders initially launched their social network platform in the emerging cannabis and hemp industry in 2013, but have expanded it to meet the growing demand for niche social networking in the real estate industry and a myriad of sports verticals.

Emerald Health Therapeutics and Village Farms International Announce Cannabis Cultivation License for 1.1 Million Ft2 Delta 3 Greenhouse Operation

Source:  Emerald Health Therapeutics, Inc.

– Unmatched Experience and Expertise and Optimized Facility Design Will Support Continuous Production and Consistent Quality and Supply –

Emerald Health Therapeutics, Inc. (Emerald) (TSX-V:EHT) (OTCQX:EMHTF) and Village Farms International, Inc. (Village Farms) (TSX:VFF) (OTCQX:VFFIF) today announced that Health Canada has issued a Cultivation Licence for their co-owned Delta 3 greenhouse operation (the “Joint Venture”) under Canada’s Access to Cannabis for Medical Purposes Regulations ("ACMPR"). This optimally-designed 1.1 million ft² cannabis growing facility is located in one of the best growing climates in Canada in Delta, BC, and is conservatively projected to produce 75,000 kg of quality cannabis annually at full production.

Village Farms and Emerald aim for the Joint Venture to be one of the most consistent and reliable suppliers of quality cannabis products to wholesalers, distributors and retailers across Canada and internationally, with the goal to be the low-cost cannabis Canadian producer at an all-in production cost of less than $1.00 per gram at full production.

The Joint Venture will immediately begin cultivating cannabis in the Delta 3 greenhouse following the transfer of existing starter plants from Emerald and expects to receive its Sales License under ACMPR by July 1, 2018.

“Our Joint Venture is well positioned to be a leading supplier in the imminent legal adult-use Canadian cannabis market, with potentially significant benefit to each of our companies and our shareholders,” said Avtar Dhillon, MD, Executive Chairman of Emerald. “With Emerald’s in-depth cannabis expertise, Village Farms’ know-how based on innumerable crop cycles over 30 years of large-scale greenhouse growing, and working with global agricultural leaders and high-tech facilities and systems experts, we configured this greenhouse for continuous weekly harvesting year-round, maximum operating efficiencies, and flexibility to adapt to an evolving market. We are accomplishing this on a very capital-efficient basis.”

“Growing any agricultural crop on a large scale and repeatedly delivering expected quantities and consistent quality, with full regulatory compliance, at a competitive price is an extremely challenging proposition for even the most experienced agricultural producers.  The goal is for the Joint Venture to set the standard in this regard in the Canadian cannabis industry and establish itself as a preferred supplier for both the short- and long-terms,” said Michael DeGiglio, CEO, Village Farms International.  “In addition to production ramp-up, in 2018 the Joint Venture will focus on product development and developing its marketing strategy to become a vertically integrated leader in the Canadian cannabis market.”

The Joint Venture is converting the Delta 3 greenhouse operation to cannabis production with meticulous attention to the growing environment and systems, processing areas, and production ramp-up, with a particular focus on management of climate and contaminants, optimizing yield, maximizing efficiencies, and achieving continuous year-round production. Key elements of the design, conversion, and operations include:

• Growing system with automation proven in different crops to provide optimal efficiencies;
• Industry-leading HVAC systems reflecting hundreds of aggregate years of climate management experience, with technically advanced data systems;
• High-tech light deprivation and light supplementation systems with individual control of over 15 growing zones within the 1.1 million ft² footprint;
• Fully automated 90,000 square feet nursery capable of supplying Delta 3 (as well as the 1.1 million ft² Delta 2 facility should the Joint Venture exercise its option to purchase that facility, as described below);
• State of the art drying, trimming and packaging areas;
• Core upgrades to facility infrastructure;
• Use of an established labour force and proprietary labour tracking systems; and,
• Secure supply of low-cost electricity from BC Hydro sufficient to power Delta 3 at full production (and, if required, to power the Delta 2 facility at full production).

Conversion of the first 250,000 ft² section of the 1.1 million ft² Delta 3 greenhouse to cannabis production is substantially complete and is expected to commence production in April 2018. Senior growing and operational personnel, including the established team transferred from Village Farms, are in place for production ramp up. Conversion of the remainder of the 1.1 million ft² is underway and the entire facility is expected to be in production in 2019.

The Joint Venture holds options on two additional state-of-the-art greenhouses owned by Village Farms (Delta 2 and Delta 1, with 1.1 million ft² and 2.6 million ft² of growing capacity, respectively). Exercising these options would expand the Joint Venture’s production facility to 4.8 million ft² and make it one of the largest cannabis producers in Canada.

About Village Farms International, Inc.

Village Farms is one of the largest producers, marketers, and distributors of premium-quality, greenhouse-grown fruits and vegetables in North America. The food our farmers grow, along with other greenhouse farmers under exclusive arrangements are all grown in environmentally friendly, soil-less, glass greenhouses. The Village Farms® brand of fruits and vegetables is marketed and distributed primarily to local retail grocers and dedicated fresh food distributors throughout the United States and Canada. Since its inception, Village Farms has been guided by sustainability principles that enable us to grow food 365 days a year that not only feeds the growing population but is healthier for people and the planet. Village Farms is Good for the Earth® and good for you.

About Emerald Health Therapeutics

Emerald Health Therapeutics, Inc. (TSX-V:EMH) (OTCQX:EMHTF) operates through Emerald Health Therapeutics Canada Inc. ("EHTC"), a wholly owned subsidiary and Licensed Producer under Canada’s Access to Cannabis for Medical Purposes Regulations. Through EHTC, Emerald is authorized to produce and sell dried cannabis and cannabis oil for medical purposes. It operates an indoor facility in Victoria, BC, and is building a 500,000 ft² greenhouse on 32 acres in Metro Vancouver, with expansion potential to 1 million ft² to serve the anticipated legal Canadian adult-use cannabis market starting in 2018. Emerald owns 50% of a Joint Venture with Village Farms International, Inc. that is converting an existing 1.1 million ft² greenhouse in Delta, BC to grow cannabis. Emerald’s team is highly experienced in life sciences, product development and large-scale agribusiness. Emerald is part of the Emerald Health Group, which is broadly focused on developing pharmaceutical, botanical and nutraceutical products that may provide wellness and medical benefits by interacting with the human body’s endocannabinoid system.

 

Emerald Health Therapeutics Announces Amendment to Pure Sunfarms’ Cultivation License, Substantially Expanding Cannabis Production Area to 225,000 Square Feet

Source:  Emerald Health Therapeutics, Inc.

Emerald Health Therapeutics, Inc. (TSX-V:EMH) (OTCQX:EMHTF) (“Emerald”) and Village Farms International, Inc. (“Village Farms” or the “Company”) (TSX:VFF) (OTC:VFFIF) today announced that their 50/50 joint venture for large-scale, low-cost, high-quality cannabis production, Pure Sunfarms, received from Health Canada an amendment to its cultivation license for its Delta 3 greenhouse in Delta, BC. This amendment permits Pure Sunfarms to substantially expand its cannabis production to 225,000 square feet of the 1.1-million square foot Delta 3 production facility.

In mid-May, Pure Sunfarms initiated commercial-scale production on 130,000 square feet at the Delta 3 greenhouse, which is now fully utilized, with harvesting expected to begin in August. Planting in the newly-licensed area will commence this week and is expected to be completed by the end of July. Pure Sunfarms expects to have the full 1.1 million square foot Delta 3 facility, one of the single largest cannabis growing facilities in the world, converted to cannabis production by year end.

The technologically-advanced Delta 3 greenhouse design is based on decades of large-scale, low-cost agricultural production experience and extensive cannabis expertise, resulting in a state-of-the-art facility with 17 grow rooms optimized for year-round harvesting (more than 85 harvests annually) and an automated process line encompassing harvesting, trimming, drying and packaging. The greenhouse is designed to cultivate more than 200,000 cannabis plants concurrently.

“We are thrilled to expand Pure Sunfarms’ production area to 225,000 square feet,” said Michael DeGiglio, Director, Pure Sunfarms and CEO of Village Farms. “Leveraging Village Farms’ deep experience designing greenhouse operations globally for high-value crops, Pure Sunfarms has developed the Delta 3 greenhouse to optimize operating conditions for the highest quality and yield with continuous year-round harvesting. We are not surprised to see our first commercial-scale crop thriving in this environment and remain firmly on track for our production targets in 2018 and beyond.”

“The Delta 3 production facility is maturing at an outstanding pace thanks to our senior cultivation, financial, and operational teams. We are making great strides to achieve large-volume, high-quality, low-cost cannabis production and anticipate receiving our sales license before the onset of recreational sales on October 17th,” said Chris Wagner, Director, Pure Sunfarms, and CEO of Emerald Health Therapeutics. “With the Canadian government’s historic legalization of adult-use cannabis, we are focused on meeting the needs of both medical and recreational consumers in this new era of cannabis regulation.

About Village Farms International, Inc.

Village Farms International, Inc. is one of the largest and longest-operating vertically integrated greenhouse growers in North America and the only publicly traded greenhouse produce company in Canada. With more than 750 years of accumulated master grower experience coupled with advanced proprietary technology and environmentally sustainable growing practices, Village Farms is highly resource efficient. Village Farms produces and distributes fresh, premium-quality produce with consistency 365-days a year to national grocers in the U.S. and Canada from its large-scale Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) greenhouses in British Columbia and Texas, as well as from its partner greenhouses in BC, Ontario, and Mexico.

About Emerald Health Therapeutics, Inc.

Emerald Health Therapeutics (TSX-V:EMH) (OTCQX:EMHTF) (Frankfurt:TBD) is a Licensed Producer under Canada’s Access to Cannabis for Medical Purposes Regulations and produces and sells dried cannabis and cannabis oil for medical purposes. Emerald is preparing to serve the fully legalized Canadian adult-use cannabis market starting October 17, 2018. Emerald owns 50% of Pure Sunfarms, which is converting a licensed existing 1.1 million square foot greenhouse in Delta, BC and is now in commercial production. It owns Agro-Biotech, a Québec-based licensed cannabis grower with a 75,000 square foot indoor facility and is planning to add a 500,000 square foot greenhouse in Metro Vancouver. Emerald’s team is highly experienced in life sciences, product development, large-scale agri-business, and marketing, and is focused on developing value-added cannabis-based products with potential wellness and medical benefits. Emerald is part of the Emerald Health group, which is broadly focused on developing pharmaceutical, botanical, and nutraceutical products that may provide wellness and medical benefits by interacting with the human body’s endocannabinoid system.

Emerald Health Therapeutics Welcomes Historic Passing of Bill C-45 to Legalize Adult-Use Cannabis in Canada

Source:  Emerald Health Therapeutics, Inc.

Emerald Health Therapeutics, Inc. (TSXV:EMH) (OTCQX:EMHTF) (Emerald) today applauds the Canadian government’s historic passing of Bill C-45 (Cannabis Act) to end Canada’s near century-long prohibition of recreational cannabis and usher in a new era of cannabis regulation.

“Today is a historic moment for Canada with the government’s approval of the Cannabis Act, which will provide a new legal framework and establish Canada as a globally recognized leader of cannabis legalization. We are the first G7 country to federally legalize cannabis for medicinal and recreational use. Moving forward, the world will look to Canada when developing their own rules and regulations,” said Chris Wagner, CEO at Emerald.

“We support the government’s efforts to ensure we keep cannabis out of the hands of children and profits out of the pockets of organized crime. At Emerald, we support the right of patients across Canada to access safe and affordable medical cannabis and we will continue to advocate for tax-exempt status for medical cannabis. In addition, we support building on this regulatory framework, furthering cannabis research and education, and fostering comprehensive communication in order to allow this industry to mature and consumers to make informed choices.”

To conclude, Mr. Wagner stated: “We respect the people who made this day possible: government officials and social advocates who believed in a safer, more well-regulated system for Canadians. We will continue to uphold our commitment to deliver high-quality product to consumers, advance product innovation, and expand our production capacity to meet anticipated demand. At Emerald, we envision a valuable cannabis industry that will work in the best interests of Canadians and we will continue to focus on our goal of enhancing the health and well-being of others through cannabis science and product innovation.”

With the introduction of legalized recreational cannabis in Canada, Emerald is making great strides towards achieving its goal of large-scale, high-quality, low-cost cannabis production via multiple projects:

• Currently retrofitting its 50-percent owned 1.1 million square foot greenhouse in Delta, BC, which has its cultivation license and is expected to generate 46,000–52,000 kg in 2019 and more than 75,000 kg/year when the facility reaches full production.
• Acquired Licensed Producer Agro-Biotech, the assets of which include a Health Canada cultivation license and a 75,000 square foot purpose-built facility in Saint-Eustache, Québec; estimated full production capacity is targeted to exceed 10,000 kg/year starting in 2019.
• Planning to construct a 500,000 square foot hybrid indoor and greenhouse cannabis growing facility in Metro Vancouver.  

Emerald looks forward to participating in the launch, evolution, and future success of the Canadian adult-use cannabis market.

Emerald is available for comment on the historic passing of Bill C-45.

About Emerald Health Therapeutics, Inc.

Emerald Health Therapeutics (TSXV:EMH) (OTCQX:EMHTF) (Frankfurt:TBD) is a Licensed Producer under Canada’s Access to Cannabis for Medical Purposes Regulations and produces and sells dried cannabis and cannabis oil for medical purposes. Emerald is preparing to serve the anticipated legal Canadian adult-use cannabis market starting in 2018. Emerald owns 50% of Pure Sunfarms, which is converting a licensed existing 1.1 million square foot greenhouse in Delta, BC and is now in commercial production. It owns Agro-Biotech, a Québec-based licensed cannabis grower with a 75,000 square foot indoor facility and is planning to add a 500,000 square foot greenhouse in Metro Vancouver. Emerald’s team is highly experienced in life sciences, product development, large-scale agri-business, and marketing, and is focused on developing value-added cannabis-based products with potential wellness and medical benefits. Emerald is part of the Emerald Health group, which is broadly focused on developing pharmaceutical, botanical, and nutraceutical products that may provide wellness and medical benefits by interacting with the human body’s endocannabinoid system.

Emerald Health Therapeutics Acquires Cannabis Licensed Producer in Québec

Source:  Emerald Health Therapeutics, Inc.

New Emerald operation, one of only six licensed producers in Québec, adds indoor growing capacity of approximately 10,000 kg per annum

Emerald Health Therapeutics, Inc. (“Emerald”) (TSXV:EMH) (OTCQX:EMHTF) (Frankfurt:TBD) announced today that it has acquired (the “Acquisition”) all of the issued and outstanding securities of 8611165 Canada Inc., an Access to Cannabis for Medical Purposes Regulations (ACMPR) Licensed Producer located in Saint-Eustache, Québec, and its affiliate 9353-8460 Québec Inc. (together, “Agro-Biotech”). Agro-Biotech’s assets include a Health Canada cultivation license, land, and 75,000 sq. ft. purpose-built facility. The Acquisition enhances this local startup’s resources to serve Québec consumers with high-quality cannabis products in the anticipated legalized adult-use market, and further strengthens Emerald’s ability to market throughout eastern Canada and nationwide.

This indoor hydroponic growing facility, which has access to very low-cost energy and water, will be capable of high-yielding production of Emerald’s unique cannabis strains, several of which are currently being grown in Agro-Biotech’s facility. Agro-Biotech’s extensive experience in cannabis cultivation complements Emerald’s downstream product development focus, which is backed by its depth of pharmaceutical industry R&D and clinical development expertise, and extensive consumer packaged goods and alcohol beverage marketing experience.

Agro-Biotech has built out 20,000 sq. ft. of this facility and expects to have 50,000 sq. ft. equipped for indoor cannabis cultivation by year end. Emerald intends to meet the requirements for an ACMPR sales license for this facility before the end of August. This operation is estimated to have production capacity of 3,000 kg of cannabis in 2018 and have full production capacity exceeding 10,000 kg following completion of the build-out by year end.

With the anticipated introduction of legalized recreational cannabis in Canada, Emerald’s acquisition of Agro-Biotech expands its capacity to meet increased consumer demand in the second half of 2018. Emerald is currently also retrofitting its 50-percent owned 1.1 million square foot greenhouse in Delta, BC, which has its cultivation license and is expected to have over 46,000 kg of production capacity by 2019 and more than 75,000 kilograms of growing capacity when the facility reaches full production. Emerald is also constructing a 500,000-square foot hybrid indoor and greenhouse cannabis growing facility in Metro Vancouver.

“On behalf of the entire team, we are extremely grateful to the city of Saint-Eustache, which has been a supportive and welcoming community, and we look forward to increasing local employment and contributing to the area’s economy,” said Avtar Dhillon, MD, Executive Chairman of Emerald. “Québec’s and the city’s affordable electricity and water will enable us to produce unique, high quality cannabis at very low cost. We are excited to become part of an established presence in Québec that will allow us to be highly responsive to customers in this province and beyond.”

“Agro-Biotech is one of only six Licensed Producers in Québec, Canada’s second largest province with a population of over 8.4 million. Our experienced and talented team collectively has over 60 years of cannabis growing and broad horticulture experience,” said Yan Dignard, President, RPIC/QPIC, of Agro-Biotech. “We did this deal as we respect Emerald’s capabilities and look forward to working with their team to build a strong and differentiated cannabis product line in Québec and across Canada.”

Under the terms of the Acquisition, Emerald will pay an aggregate purchase price of $90 million to the shareholders of Agro-Biotech, half in cash and half in shares. One-half of the cash consideration was paid on closing and the remainder will be payable on May 1, 2019. All of the shares were issued upon closing, however, half of the shares will be held in escrow until May 1, 2019, pursuant to an escrow agreement.

About Emerald Health Therapeutics, Inc.

Emerald Health Therapeutics (TSXV:EMH) (OTCQX:EMHTF) (Frankfurt:TBD) is a Licensed Producer under Canada’s Access to Cannabis for Medical Purposes Regulations and produces and sells dried cannabis and cannabis oil for medical purposes. It is adding a 500,000 square foot greenhouse in Metro Vancouver to serve the anticipated legal Canadian adult-use cannabis market starting in 2018. Emerald owns 50% of a joint venture with Village Farms International, Inc. that is converting an existing 1.1 million square foot greenhouse in Delta, BC to grow cannabis. Emerald’s team is highly experienced in life sciences, product development and large-scale agribusiness. Emerald Health Therapeutics is part of the Emerald Health group, which includes multiple companies focused on developing cannabis and cannabinoid products with potential wellness and medical benefits.

 

Emerald Health Therapeutics to Launch Award-Winning Endocannabinoid Based Products into Canadian Grocery, Natural Health Product, and Pharmacy Stores

Source:  Emerald Health Therapeutics Inc.

New joint venture, Emerald Health Naturals, secures exclusive Canadian rights to sell proprietary non-cannabis health products that support the human endocannabinoid system

Initiative leverages natural health product development, marketing and sales expertise of Emerald Health Bioceuticals, VANC Pharmaceuticals and GAB Innovations to establish brand and sales in strategic distribution channels

Emerald Health Therapeutics Inc. (EHT) (TSX-V:EMH) (OTCQX:EMHTF) (Frankfurt:TBD) launched today a multi-pronged program to market and sell a proprietary, award-winning non-cannabis line of endocannabinoid-supporting nutritional products in Canadian grocery, natural health product, and pharmacy stores. EHT has entered into a 51:49 joint venture, to be called Emerald Health Naturals (EHN), with San Diego-based Emerald Health Bioceuticals, Inc. (EHB). EHN has secured exclusive Canadian marketing and sales rights to EHB’s unique nutritional supplements, which use non-cannabis, non-psychoactive plant-based ingredients to provide potentially beneficial support to the body’s endocannabinoid system.

In this initiative, EHN has agreed to acquire the assets of GAB Innovations (GAB) and has granted non-exclusive sub-distribution rights to VANC Pharmaceuticals (VANC). Both GAB and VANC have established networks and a history of sales success in the natural health product and pharmacy channels. Gaetano Morello, ND, the founder of GAB, has been appointed CEO of EHN.

Market research commissioned by EHT identified that approximately 6 of 10 current legal cannabis users also use natural health products. This strong consumer overlap between the two markets creates a unique opportunity for EHT to establish its health brand and begin sales of endocannabinoid-supporting products in natural health product channels. These channels are not expected to be authorized to sell cannabis under the anticipated Canadian federal cannabis regulations for recreational use expected in 2018. If these channels are approved in the future, EHT would be well positioned to leverage its brand and channel presence to introduce its cannabis-based products into these channels.

“As familiar and trusted sources of health products, we believe that pharmacy, natural health product, and grocery stores will become important channels for products that beneficially affect the endocannabinoid system,” said Chris Wagner, CEO of EHT. “This acclaimed non-cannabis product line gives us first-mover advantage in these channels and positioning if they are approved to sell cannabis-based products in the future. These channels would also be ideal for new products we are developing around advancements in formulation, delivery, and dosing.”

“We were recently honored with the Best New Supplement Award at one of the largest natural product trade shows, a testament to the quality and innovativeness of our product line,” noted Jade Beutler, CEO of EHB. “We look forward to introducing these natural health products to the Canadian marketplace, which along with other legal cannabis markets is showing tremendous appetite for non-psychoactive products that may provide wellness benefits.”

EHT is leveraging multiple relationships to launch this initiative:

• Formed a joint venture with San Diego-based Emerald Health Bioceuticals. EHT will receive 51% of the shares of EHN in exchange for an investment of $5,000,000. EHB will receive 49% of the shares of EHN in exchange for granting the joint venture exclusive Canadian distribution rights with respect to EHB’s product line.

EHB developed and launched its over-the-counter product line of cannabis-free nutritional supplements in the U.S. The products feature PhytoCann-Complex™, EHB’s proprietary formulation designed to support the body’s endocannabinoid system and its central role in the orchestration, maintenance, and balance of health and wellbeing. The products include Endo Sleep^TM, Endo Inflame^TM, Endo Brain^TM, Endo Bliss^TM, Endo Calm^TM.

EHB’s management and scientific advisory board (SAB) comprise experts in natural health medicine, product development, and marketing. They have decades of experience working with active ingredients, desired formulations, delivery and dosage forms, and have access to source ingredients and industrial-scale, pharmaceutical quality manufacturing. For example, the SAB includes Michael T. Murray, ND, a leading authority on natural medicine, and Giovanni Appendino, PhD, a thought leader who has researched cannabis and cannabinoids for over 15 years. CEO Jade Beutler and the EHB leadership team have built significant, commercially successful natural health product brands.

EHB is a 70%-owned subsidiary of Emerald Health Sciences Inc. (Sciences), which also owns approximately 37% of the issued and outstanding shares of EHT. There will be no change in the share ownership of EHT by Sciences as a result of the joint venture. The joint venture with EHB was approved by the independent directors of EHT.

• Appointed Gaetano Morello, ND, as CEO of EHN. Dr. Morello is a clinician at the Complex Chronic Disease Program at BC Women’s Hospital in Vancouver and a private practice in West Vancouver. He treats complex chronic diseases including fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, myalgic encephalomyelitis, and chronic lyme disease. He has seen first-hand not only the benefits of authorized cannabis on this population but also other plant extracts targeting the endocannabinoid system. He serves on the Quality Assurance Committee for the College of Naturopathic Physicians of British Columbia and other health and medical panels. Dr. Morello has a B.Sc. in Cell Biology/Nutrition from the University of British Columbia and a Doctorate in Naturopathic Medicine from Bastyr University.

• EHN has acquired certain assets of GAB, a company founded by Dr. Morello that has been a distributor of nutritional supplements into natural health channels since 1996. GAB has represented some of North America’s leading manufacturers of natural health supplements including Enzymatic Therapy, a leading manufacturer of natural supplements; Thorne Research, a leading physician brand in both Canada and the U.S.; as well as Terry Naturally, Wisdom Sweet Leaf, and others. GAB has represented hundreds of SKUs to a network of over 2,000 health food and pharmacy stores across the country. GAB recently sold its proprietary Sealicious^® omega-3 product line to Natural Factors, one of Canada’s largest producers of natural supplements.
   
• Granted VANC Pharmaceuticals Inc. (TSX-V:VANC) (OTCQB:NUVPF) a non-exclusive right to distribute EHN’s endocannabinoid-supporting products to Canadian pharmacies. VANC has a well-established sales team and key relationships with Canada’s largest pharmaceutical wholesalers as well as pharmacy and grocery chains. VANC will concurrently issue to EHN 3,030,303 warrants to purchase shares of VANC.

“We believe the sales potential for cannabis products in pharmacies is significant and providing these products through the pharmacy channel would be a natural fit as pharmacists play a key role in promoting public safety through education and awareness. We will take a lead role to develop this channel with Emerald Health Naturals, starting with these cannabis-free endocannabinoid-supporting products,” said Bob Rai, CEO and Director of VANC.

“Our mission is to broadly realize the medicinal benefits of a range of products that interact with the endocannabinoid system, which plays a vital role in modulating key functions of the human body. Emerald Health Bioceuticals and its internationally recognized advisors have created a unique product line that we believe can assist the endocannabinoid system in its role,” said Dr. Morello, CEO of EHN. “As a practitioner of natural medicine for over 26 years, and having assessed hundreds of patients using legally authorized cannabis, I believe Canada’s steps to legalize recreational cannabis will be beneficial for patients with many medical conditions. I am excited about the potential of EHT’s cannabis and non-cannabis products, and to take on a role to help realize the medicinal and commercial potential of these products.”

Completion of the transactions set out in this press release are subject to the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange.

Join us on our journey of making lives better through cannabis science.

About the Endocannabinoid System (ECS)

The ECS is a biological system with a vital role in regulating human health and disease. A lack of endocannabinoid “tone” may have adverse consequences in various physiological processes. The ECS is activated by endocannabinoids produced naturally in the body, but also by cannabis or non-cannabis plant-based cannabinoids that mimic those produced in the body. Phyto-Cann^TM Complex is formulated with non-cannabis herbal and botanical cannabinoids that may favorably impact the ECS, along with health and wellness.

About VANC Pharmaceuticals Inc. 

VANC Pharmaceuticals aims to become the partner of choice for forward-thinking pharmacies across Canada. With an established sales force, distribution network, and team of highly experienced professionals in pharmacy, point-of-care testing and health technology, VANC’s goal is to provide pharmacists with innovative, value-added products and services to expand their scope of practice and support their evolving role as front-line healthcare providers. 

About Emerald Health Therapeutics

Emerald Health Therapeutics (TSX-V:EMH) (OTCQX:EMHTF) (Frankfurt:TBD) is a Licensed Producer under Canada’s Access to Cannabis for Medical Purposes Regulations and produces and sells dried cannabis and cannabis oil for medical purposes. It is adding a 500,000 ft² greenhouse in Metro Vancouver to serve the anticipated legal Canadian adult-use cannabis market starting in 2018. Emerald owns 50% of a joint venture with Village Farms International, Inc. that is converting an existing 1.1 million ft² greenhouse in Delta, BC to grow cannabis. Emerald’s team is highly experienced in life sciences, product development and large-scale agribusiness. Emerald Health Therapeutics  and Emerald Health Bioceuticals are both part of the Emerald Health group, which includes multiple companies focused on developing cannabis and cannabinoid products with potential wellness and medical benefits.

Emerald Health Therapeutics Appoints Rebecca Wong as Vice President Quality Affairs

Source:  Emerald Health Therapeutics Inc.

Department head in quality assurance brings over 25 years’ pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical device industry experience to lead Emerald quality affairs strategy

Emerald Health Therapeutics Inc. (TSXV:EMH) (OTCQX:EMHTF) (“Emerald”) has appointed Rebecca Wong as Vice President Quality Affairs, with responsibility for quality systems at Emerald’s production and product development facilities. She will ensure Emerald’s systems and products meet Health Canada and international standards and implement traceability and accountability measures to uphold the Company’s commitment to high-quality cannabis products.

“Rebecca has worked exclusively in the rigorous environment of life sciences quality affairs and, impressively, has a flawless inspection record and exemplary reputation with regulators in Canada, the US, and worldwide,” said Chris Wagner, Chief Executive Officer of Emerald. “We believe her contributions to the team will strongly support Emerald’s mission to develop and manufacture value-added, pharmaceutical-grade cannabis products on a global scale.”  

Ms. Wong has over 25 years of managerial experience in quality assurance and quality control. She led multiple departments and established systems for vendor qualification, change control, deviations, risk analysis, equipment validation, compliance auditing, document management, and GxP training. Her responsibilities have encompassed quality systems implementation for production and testing, facility accreditation, and inspections in preclinical, clinical, and commercial phases for pharmaceuticals, genetically engineered products, and medical devices. 

Prior to joining Emerald, Ms. Wong was Executive Director of Quality Assurance at Novelion Therapeutics (formerly QLT Inc.), reporting to the CEO. She previously worked for life science companies including MDS Nordion, Cangene Corporation, and Biomira Inc. Ms. Wong earned a B.Sc. (Microbiology) from the University of Alberta. 

"I’m pleased to join a dynamic team that already has extensive hands-on experience in clinical research, GMP production practices, regulatory approval processes, and intellectual property creation,” said Ms. Wong. “Emerald has the scientific knowledge base to develop new innovative products and I look forward to applying my experience to further the company’s goal of producing high-quality cannabis products and advancing downstream product development.”

Ms. Wong has been granted an option to acquire up to 150,000 common shares priced at $5.69 vesting over 3 years. The option expires March 26, 2023.

Join us on our journey of making lives better through cannabis science.

About Emerald Health Therapeutics

Emerald Health Therapeutics (TSXV:EMH) (OTCQX:EMHTF) is a Licensed Producer under Canada’s Access to Cannabis for Medical Purposes Regulations and produces and sells dried cannabis and cannabis oil for medical purposes. It is adding a 500,000 ft² greenhouse in Metro Vancouver to serve the anticipated legal Canadian adult-use cannabis market starting in 2018. Emerald owns 50% of a joint venture with Village Farms International, Inc. that is converting an existing 1.1 million ft² greenhouse in Delta, BC to grow cannabis. Emerald’s team is highly experienced in life sciences, product development and large-scale agribusiness. The company is part of the Emerald Health Group, with multiple companies focused on developing the cannabis and cannabinoid products with potential wellness and medical benefits.

 

Emerald Health Therapeutics Named as #1 2018 TSX Venture 50™ Performer

Source:  Emerald Health Therapeutics, Inc.

Emerald Achieves Top Performer Status in Clean Technology & Life Science Sector for 2nd Consecutive Year

Emerald Health Therapeutics, Inc. (TSX-V:EMH) (OTCQX:EMHTF) ("Emerald") has achieved the #1 ranking in the 2018 TSX Venture 50™ for the clean technology & life science sector and is recognized as a top performing company for the second consecutive year. The TSX Venture 50™ is the TSX Venture Exchange’s annual ranking of Canada’s top 50 emerging publicly traded companies. 

“Emerald, like all the companies in the TSX Venture 50™ and in the rapidly growing cannabis sector, aspires to build a growing and differentiated business that will provide notable value to shareholders. In achieving #1 status in our sector in 2018, I extend a big thank you to our entire team for their effort and our shareholders for their support,” said Chris Wagner, CEO of Emerald. “We are executing very well on our major production expansion projects, are well-financed, and are advancing unique product innovation and marketing initiatives. We believe these factors strongly position Emerald for the anticipated legal adult-use cannabis market in Canada and for emerging international opportunities.” 

Winner selections are based on a formula with equal weighting given to share price appreciation, market capitalization growth, and trading volume for the year ending December 31, 2017. The TSX Venture 50™ acknowledges the top 10 performing companies listed on the TSX Venture Exchange in five industry sectors: mining, oil & gas, clean technology & life sciences, diversified industries, and technology.  

The TSXV created a video profile on Emerald and other 2018 TSX Venture 50™ winners, available at www.tsx.com/venture50. 

Earlier this month Emerald announced that it had been upgraded to Tier 1 on the the TSX Venture Exchange. This status was based on standards regarding historical financial performance, stage of development, and financial resources. Tier 1 is the highest tier of the TSX-V and is reserved for more advanced issuers with greater financial resources. 

Emerald Health Therapeutics, Inc.
Emerald Health Therapeutics, Inc. (TSX-V:EMH) (OTCQX:EMHTF) operates through Emerald Health Botanicals Inc. ("Botanicals"), a wholly owned subsidiary and Licensed Producer under Canada’s Access to Cannabis for Medical Purposes Regulations. Through Botanicals, Emerald is authorized to produce and sell dried medical cannabis flower and medical cannabis oil. It currently operates an indoor facility in Victoria, BC, and is building a 500,000 s.f. greenhouse on 32 acres in Metro Vancouver, with expansion potential to 1 million s.f. to serve the anticipated legal Canadian adult-use cannabis market starting in 2018. Emerald also owns 50% of Pure Sunfarms Inc., a partnership with Village Farms International Inc. that is converting an existing 1.1 million s.f. greenhouse in Delta, BC from growing tomatoes to growing cannabis. Emerald’s team is highly experienced in life sciences, product development and large-scale agribusiness. Emerald is part of the Emerald Health group, which is broadly focused on developing pharmaceutical, botanical and nutraceutical products that may provide wellness and medical benefits by interacting with the human body’s endocannabinoid system.

 

Emerald Health Therapeutics Closes $18 Million Prospectus Sale

Source:  Emerald Health Therapeutics, Inc.

Investor agrees to also exercise $18 million in additional warrants

Emerald Health Therapeutics, Inc. (TSXV:EMH) (OTCQX:EMHTF) ("Emerald" or the “Company”) has closed its prospectus sale (the “Offering”) to a single Canadian institutional accredited investor (the “Investor”) announced on February 8, 2018. Pursuant to the Offering, the Company has issued 3,000,000 units (the “Units”) at a price per Unit of $6.00 for gross proceeds of $18,000,000.

Each Unit consists of one common share of the Company and one common share purchase warrant (a “Warrant”). Each Warrant will entitle the Investor to acquire one common share of the Company (a “Warrant Share”) at a price of $7.00 per Warrant Share for a period of six months following the closing of the Offering. In the event that the closing sale price of the Company’s common shares (the “Common Shares”) on the TSX Venture Exchange or other recognized exchange is greater than $8.50 per Common Share for a period of five consecutive trading days at any time after the closing of the Offering, the Company may accelerate the expiry date of the Warrants by giving notice to the Investor and in such case the Warrants will expire on the 15th day after the date on which such notice is given by the Company.

The Units were offered by way of a shelf prospectus supplement filed in all of the provinces of Canada, except Quebec, pursuant to National Instrument 44-101 - Short Form Prospectus Distributions. 

The Company intends to use the net proceeds of the Offering for its production and R&D-related growth plans, working capital and general corporate purposes.

The Investor has also agreed to exercise 3,000,000 warrants of the Company within three days of closing of the Offering. These warrants, issued by the Company to the Investor on January 9, 2018, are exercisable at a price of $6.00 per Common Share at any time prior to January 9, 2021.

The previously announced purchase by the Investor of 2,000,000 Common Shares from Emerald Health Sciences Inc. (“Sciences”), a control person of the Company, at a price of $6.00 per share, has also closed.

Emerald Health Therapeutics, Inc.
Emerald Health Therapeutics, Inc. (TSXV:EMH) (OTCQX:EMHTF) operates through Emerald Health Botanicals Inc. ("Botanicals"), a wholly owned subsidiary and Licensed Producer under Canada’s Access to Cannabis for Medical Purposes Regulations. Through Botanicals, Emerald is authorized to produce and sell dried medical cannabis flower and medical cannabis oil. It currently operates an indoor facility in Victoria, BC, and is building a 500,000 s.f. greenhouse on 32 acres in Metro Vancouver, with expansion potential to 1 million s.f. to serve the anticipated legal Canadian adult-use cannabis market starting in 2018. Emerald also owns 50% of Pure Sunfarms Inc., a partnership with Village Farms International Inc. that is converting an existing 1.1 million s.f. greenhouse in Delta, BC from growing tomatoes to growing cannabis. Emerald’s team is highly experienced in life sciences, product development and large-scale agribusiness. Emerald is part of the Emerald Health group, which is broadly focused on developing pharmaceutical, botanical and nutraceutical products that may provide wellness and medical benefits by interacting with the human body’s endocannabinoid system.

 

Onconova Therapeutics Announces Promotion for Steven M. Fruchtman, M.D.

Source:  Onconova Therapeutics, Inc.

Onconova Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:ONTX), a Phase 3-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing novel products to treat cancer, with a primary focus on myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), today announced the promotion of Dr. Steven M. Fruchtman. In his new role as President, Dr. Fruchtman will have oversight over the entire product portfolio, as well as a key role in all other areas of the Company. He will continue to maintain the responsibilities of Chief Medical Officer until a replacement is hired to assume that role. Dr. Fruchtman will continue to report to Dr. Ramesh Kumar, co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Company.

Dr. Fruchtman joined Onconova as Chief Medical Officer (CMO) and Senior Vice President, Research and Development, in January 2015. He is a board certified hematologist with extensive industry experience in clinical research for myelodysplastic syndromes, hematologic malignancies and solid tumors. Prior to his transition to industry, Dr. Fruchtman served as the Director of the Myeloproliferative Disorder Program at Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York City and established the Stem Cell Transplant Program there. He has served with increasing responsibilities at Ortho Biotech, Novartis, and biotechnology companies Allos, Spectrum, and Syndax, leading to Health Authority approvals for a number of new chemical entities in various malignancies. His commitment to the areas of hematology/oncology and myeloproliferative disorders is exemplified by his service as an external reviewer for the New England Journal of Medicine, Mayo Clinic Proceedings, Experimental Hematology, European Journal of Haematology, Leukemia, and his role as a member of the editorial board of The Mount Sinai Journal of Medicine. Dr. Fruchtman is an author of more than 170 lectures, presentations, books, and chapters. He received his Bachelor of Arts with Honors from Cornell University, and his M.D. from New York Medical College. He was recently named to the Board of The Bone Marrow Foundation located in NYC.

“Steve has an enviable track record of successful development and approval of several new drugs for the unmet needs of cancer patients. His background as a practicing hematologist/oncologist, combined with his research and development acumen and experience, position him very well to lead the development of our innovative late stage portfolio of small molecule products for MDS and other cancers,” said Dr. Kumar.

“I am honored by this promotion and to be entrusted with increased responsibility,” said Dr. Fruchtman. “We have made significant progress on the INSPIRE TRIAL in higher-risk MDS since announcing the results of a pre-planned interim analysis in January. We are also advancing the design of a pivotal combination trial of oral rigosertib and azacitidine by optimizing the dosage. These trials have set a solid foundation in the studies of rigosertib in patients with MDS. While focused on advancing Rigosertib towards regulatory approval for MDS, we also recognize the many additional opportunities and avenues open to us. In the era of genomic medicine, we plan to investigate other indications where mutated and overexpressed pathways could be targeted by our novel compounds. These are exciting times for Onconova.”

About Onconova Therapeutics, Inc.
Onconova Therapeutics, Inc. is a Phase 3-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing novel small molecule drug candidates to treat cancer, with a primary focus on Myelodysplastic Syndromes (MDS).  Rigosertib, Onconova's lead candidate, is a proprietary Phase 3 small molecule agent, which the Company believes blocks cellular signaling by targeting RAS effector pathways.  Using a proprietary chemistry platform, Onconova has created a pipeline of targeted agents designed to work against specific cellular pathways that are important in cancer cells.  Onconova has three product candidates in the clinical stage and several pre-clinical programs.  Advanced clinical trials with the Company’s lead compound, rigosertib, are aimed at what the Company believes are unmet medical needs of patients with MDS.  For more information, please visit http://www.onconova.com.

About IV Rigosertib
The intravenous form of rigosertib has been employed in Phase 1, 2, and 3 clinical trials involving more than 800 patients, and is currently being evaluated in a randomized Phase 3 international INSPIRE trial for patients with higher-risk MDS, after failure of hypomethylating agent, or HMA, therapy.

About INSPIRE
The INternational Study of Phase III IV RigosErtib, or INSPIRE, was finalized following guidance received from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and European Medicines Agency and derives from the findings of the ONTIME Phase 3 trial.  INSPIRE is a multi-center, randomized controlled study to assess the efficacy and safety of IV rigosertib in HR-MDS patients who had progressed on, failed to respond to, or relapsed after previous treatment with an HMA within the first 9 months or nine cycles over the course of one year after initiation of HMA treatment.  This time frame optimizes the opportunity to respond to treatment with an HMA prior to declaring treatment failure, as per NCCN Guidelines.  Following interim analysis in early 2018, the independent Data Monitoring Committee recommended that the trial continue with an expansion in enrollment to 360 patients based on a pre-planned sample size re-estimation.  Patients are randomized at a 2:1 ratio into two treatment arms: IV rigosertib plus Best Supportive Care versus Physician's Choice plus Best Supportive Care.  The primary endpoint of INSPIRE is overall survival. Full details of the INSPIRE trial, such as inclusion and exclusion criteria, as well as secondary endpoints, can be found on clinicaltrials.gov (NCT02562443).

About Oral Rigosertib
The oral form of rigosertib was developed to provide more convenient dosing for use where the duration of treatment may extend to multiple years. This dosage form may also support many combination therapy modalities.  To date, 368 patients have been treated with the oral formulation of rigosertib.  Initial studies with single-agent oral rigosertib were conducted in hematological malignancies, lower-risk MDS, and solid tumors.  Combination therapy of oral rigosertib with azacitidine and chemoradiotherapy has also been explored.  Currently, oral rigosertib is being developed as a combination therapy together with azacitidine for patients with higher-risk MDS who require HMA therapy.  A Phase 1/2 trial of the combination therapy has been fully enrolled and the preliminary results were presented in 2016. This novel combination is the subject of an issued U.S. patent with earliest expiration in 2028.

Onconova Therapeutics Announces Closing of $28.75 Million Upsized Underwritten Public Offering

Source:  Onconova Therapeutics, Inc.


Onconova Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:ONTX) (“Onconova” or “we”), a Phase 3 stage biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing small molecule drug candidates to treat cancer, with a primary focus on Myelodysplastic Syndromes, today announced the closing of its previously announced underwritten public offering (the “Offering”) of 67,647,058 shares of its common stock (“Common Stock”) (or Common Stock equivalent) and warrants to purchase an aggregate of 1,691,176.450 shares of Onconova’s Series B convertible preferred stock (“Preferred Stock Warrants”), including 8,823,529 shares of Common Stock and Preferred Stock Warrants to purchase 220,588.225 shares of Series B convertible preferred stock issued pursuant to the underwriter’s full exercise of its option to purchase additional securities, at the public offering price of $0.425 per share and accompanying Preferred Stock Warrant.

H.C. Wainwright & Co. acted as the sole book-running manager for the Offering.

The gross proceeds of the Offering were approximately $28.75 million and, after deducting underwriting discounts and commissions and offering expenses, the net proceeds of the Offering were approximately $25.6 million. In addition, in the event the Preferred Stock Warrants are exercised in full, Onconova expects to receive approximately $28.75 million in additional proceeds.  However, there is no assurance that all or a portion of the Preferred Stock Warrants will be exercised prior to their expiration.

The Preferred Stock Warrants are exercisable immediately at an exercise price of $0.425 per 0.025 share of Series B Preferred Stock (convertible into one share of Common Stock) and will expire on the 18-month anniversary of the date on which Onconova publicly announces through the filing of a Current Report on Form 8-K that an amendment to its certificate of incorporation to increase its authorized shares of Common Stock has been filed with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware.  The shares of Common Stock (or Common Stock equivalents) and the accompanying Preferred Stock Warrants were purchased together in this Offering but were issued separately.

Onconova intends to use the net proceeds from this Offering to fund the development of its clinical and preclinical programs, for other research and development activities and for general corporate purposes, which may include capital expenditures and funding working capital needs.

A registration statement on Form S-1 (File No. 333-224315) relating to these securities was declared effective by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) on April 26, 2018. This Offering was made only by means of a prospectus forming part of the effective registration statement. A final prospectus relating to and describing the terms of the Offering has been filed with the SEC. Copies of the final prospectus relating to the Offering may be obtained for free by visiting the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov or by contacting H.C. Wainwright & Co., LLC, 430 Park Avenue, 3rd Floor, New York, New York 10022, by email at placements@hcwco.com or by telephone at 646-975-6996.

This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy these securities, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or other jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to the registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or other jurisdiction.

About Onconova Therapeutics, Inc.
Onconova Therapeutics, Inc. is a Phase 3-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing novel small molecule drug candidates to treat cancer, with a primary focus on Myelodysplastic Syndromes (“MDS”).  Rigosertib, Onconova’s lead candidate, is a proprietary Phase 3 small molecule agent, which Onconova believes blocks cellular signaling by targeting RAS effector pathways.  Using a proprietary chemistry platform, Onconova has created a pipeline of targeted agents designed to work against specific cellular pathways that are important in cancer cells. Onconova has three product candidates in the clinical stage and several pre-clinical programs. Advanced clinical trials with Onconova’s lead compound, rigosertib, are aimed at what Onconova believes are unmet medical needs of patients with MDS. For more information, please visit http://www.onconova.com.

Onconova Therapeutics, Inc. Reports Business Highlights and Financial Results for First Quarter 2018

Source:  Oncovonva Therapeutics, Inc.

Onconova Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:ONTX), a Phase 3 stage biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing novel small molecule drug candidates to treat cancer, with a primary focus on Myelodysplastic Syndromes (MDS), today provided a corporate update and reported financial results for the first quarter of 2018 ended March 31, 2018.

“We have strengthened our balance sheet after completing a $28.75 million upsized underwritten public offering this month. Combined with the funds raised in February, we now have the resources necessary to advance our INSPIRE Phase 3 clinical trial of IV Rigosertib towards complete enrollment, which we expect in the first half of 2019,” said Dr. Ramesh Kumar, President and Chief Executive Officer. “After enrollment of our expanded Phase 2 combination therapy trial and the advance of our CDK inhibitor preclinical program towards the clinic, we are well-positioned in our quest to serve the unmet needs of cancer patients.”  

Recent Highlights

• In May, we strengthened our balance sheet with a $28.75 million upsized underwritten public offering. This financing, combined with the $10.0 million offering completed in February, should permit the Company to advance its late stage programs in MDS to key milestones;
• We executed a licensing agreement with Pint Pharma to commercialize Rigosertib for treatment of Myelodysplastic Syndromes in Latin America;
• We presented promising Phase 2 data from the expansion study of oral Rigosertib and Azacitidine combination in patients with Myelodysplastic Syndromes at the 6th International Bone Marrow Failure Disease Symposium on March 26^th;
• We completed the Pre-IND consultation with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regarding ON 123300, a dual ARK5+CDK4/6 inhibitor, in collaboration with our partner, HanX Biopharmaceuticals.  This guidance will help advance our  differentiated compound to the clinic;
• We presented data on our first-in-class dual inhibitor of CDK4/6 + ARK5 at the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2018 on April 19^th.

First Quarter 2018 Financial Results

Cash and cash equivalents as of March 31, 2018, totaled $7.3 million, compared to $4.0 million as of December 31, 2017. This excludes the proceeds from the financing completed in May 2018, in which the Company raised net proceeds of approximately $25.6 million in a public offering, including the exercise in full of the underwriter's over-allotment option.  Based on the Company’s current projections, Onconova expects that cash and cash equivalents will be sufficient to fund ongoing trials and operations into the fourth quarter of 2019.

Net loss was $5.1 million for the first quarter ended March 31, 2018, compared to $8.3 million for the first quarter ended March 31, 2017, primarily due to a decrease in the fair value of warrant liability, and the recognition of revenue during the quarter from our license and collaborative development agreement with HanX Biopharmaceuticals. Research and development expenses were $4.6 million for the first quarter ended March 31, 2018, and $4.9 million for the comparable period in 2017. General and administrative expenses were $1.9 million for the first quarter ended March 31, 2018, and $2.1 million for comparable period in 2017.

The Company will host a conference call on Tuesday, May 15 at 9:00 a.m. Eastern Time to provide a corporate update and discuss first quarter 2018 financial results. Interested parties may access the call by dialing toll-free (855) 428-5741 from the US, or (210) 229-8823 internationally and using conference ID: 2573768. The call will also be webcast live. Please click here to access the webcast. A replay will be available at this link until August 15, 2018.

About Onconova Therapeutics, Inc.

Onconova Therapeutics, Inc. is a Phase 3-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing novel small molecule drug candidates to treat cancer, with a primary focus on Myelodysplastic Syndromes (MDS).  Rigosertib, Onconova's lead candidate, is a proprietary Phase 3 small molecule agent, which the Company believes blocks cellular signaling by targeting RAS effector pathways.  Using a proprietary chemistry platform, Onconova has created a pipeline of targeted agents designed to work against specific cellular pathways that are important in cancer cells.  Onconova has three product candidates in the clinical stage and several pre-clinical programs.  Advanced clinical trials with the Company’s lead compound, rigosertib, are aimed at what the Company believes are unmet medical needs of patients with MDS.  For more information, please visit http://www.onconova.com.

About IV Rigosertib

The intravenous form of rigosertib has been employed in Phase 1, 2, and 3 clinical trials involving more than 800 patients, and is currently being evaluated in a randomized Phase 3 international INSPIRE trial for patients with higher-risk MDS, after failure of hypomethylating agent, or HMA, therapy.

About INSPIRE

The INternational Study of Phase III IV RigosErtib, or INSPIRE, was finalized following guidance received from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and European Medicines Agency and derives from the findings of the ONTIME Phase 3 trial.  INSPIRE is a multi-center, randomized controlled study to assess the efficacy and safety of IV rigosertib in HR-MDS patients who had progressed on, failed to respond to, or relapsed after previous treatment with an HMA within the first 9 months or nine cycles over the course of one year after initiation of HMA treatment.  This time frame optimizes the opportunity to respond to treatment with an HMA prior to declaring treatment failure, as per NCCN Guidelines.  Following interim analysis in early 2018, the independent Data Monitoring Committee recommended that the trial continue with an expansion in enrollment to 360 patients based on a pre-planned sample size re-estimation.  Patients are randomized at a 2:1 ratio into two treatment arms: IV rigosertib plus Best Supportive Care versus Physician's Choice plus Best Supportive Care.  The primary endpoint of INSPIRE is overall survival.  Full details of the INSPIRE trial, such as inclusion and exclusion criteria, as well as secondary endpoints, can be found on clinicaltrials.gov (NCT02562443).

About Oral Rigosertib

The oral form of rigosertib was developed to provide more convenient dosing for use where the duration of treatment may extend to multiple years. This dosage form may also support many combination therapy modalities.  To date, 368 patients have been treated with the oral formulation of rigosertib.  Initial studies with single-agent oral rigosertib were conducted in hematological malignancies, lower-risk MDS, and solid tumors.  Combination therapy of oral rigosertib with azacitidine and chemoradiotherapy has also been explored.  Currently, oral rigosertib is being developed as a combination therapy together with azacitidine for patients with higher-risk MDS who require HMA therapy.  A Phase 1/2 trial of the combination therapy has been fully enrolled and the preliminary results were presented in 2016. This novel combination is the subject of an issued US patent with earliest expiration in 2028.