Numinus Wellness Inc. (TSX-V:NUMI) (“Numinus” or the “Company”) has received Health Canada approval to amend the Company’s existing Licence under the Controlled Drug and Substances Act to allow Numinus researchers to conduct research to standardize the extraction of psilocybin from mushrooms. The amendment means Numinus is the first publicly traded company in Canada to be granted a licence by Health Canada to conduct research of this kind.

With this regulatory approval, Numinus is able to proceed with the production of naturally sourced, sustainable psilocybin for research purposes that will support the emerging field of psychedelic assisted therapy and research, at lower costs to currently produced synthetic psilocybin. The licence also allows Numinus to develop and licence its own exclusive IP for further product development in partnership with leading research organizations — something the research community has been seeking to secure. The work will be eligible for the Government of Canada’s Scientific Research and Experimental Development (SR&ED) tax incentive program and will lay a foundation for grant applications.

“We are proud to be at the forefront of a new therapeutic category by advancing evidence-based science focused on wellness and personal connection at its core,” says Numinus CEO Payton Nyquvest. “Numinus is the only publicly traded company in Canada approved to develop a consistent psilocybin extraction method from naturally-produced mushrooms at a time when alternative therapeutic methods are increasingly being investigated and demand from clinical research is growing.”

Working from the 7,000 square-foot Numinus Bioscience research facility and laboratory, senior research scientists Dr. Kristina Grotzinger and Dr. Bernd Keller will focus on developing a proprietary extraction method from mushrooms to allow for consistent dosing and application of naturally produced psilocybin. Once a proprietary method has been developed, the Company intends to explore supply agreements with leading research organizations to make use of the product in their clinical and therapeutic work.

Researchers at Johns Hopkins University, the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Substances (MAPS) and other leading researchers have published studies showing the benefits of psilocybin in treating Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and other mental health issues. Further, the US Food and Drug Administration has granted breakthrough therapy status for psilocybin for the treatment of PTSD — illustrating the growing demand for therapeutic access to psilocybin.

“In most cases, the creation of synthetic compounds are less pure than those found in nature, which is the case with psilocybin,” says Dr. Grotzinger. “There is risk of contamination from solvents, gases and other chemicals, which makes them less safe to work with and requires added safety and processing expense. By working directly with the mushroom in its natural state, these risks are reduced, as is the cost to extract the psilocybin.”  Grotzinger added that standardized plant or fungi extracts are accepted by European standards and are a common dosage form in Europe.

For Full Release: https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/numinus-receives-health-canada-licence-amendment-to-produce-and-extract-psilocybin-from-mushrooms-885909186.html

Dr. Evan Wood, Numinus Chief Medical Officer, today announced the appointment of Dr. Devon Christie, MD CCFP RTC IFMCP, to the position of Medical Director at Numinus Wellness Inc. (“Numinus” or the “Company”) (TSXV: NUMI) — another key step in the Company’s evolution as a leader in the advancement of psychedelic therapies, treatment and research.

“We are embarking on an exciting journey at Numinus,” Dr. Wood says. “We are working with health authorities, regulators and Colleges to advance research and protocol development to explore the application of psychedelic assisted psychotherapies in safe, controlled therapeutic environments. Devon will play a key role in the Company in helping to design and implement our patient-focused model for when we are able to put these therapies in place.”

Dr. Christie, a clinical instructor with the UBC Department of Medicine, is also a family physician with a focused practice in Multidisciplinary Pain Management. She is a Registered Therapeutic Counsellor emphasizing Relational Somatic Therapy for trauma resolution and she is also trained to deliver both MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD (MAPS USA) and ketamine-assisted psychotherapy, in a research setting. She is a recognized speaker and expert on the potential for incorporating psychedelic assisted therapies in an improved health care model for the future.

“As a medical doctor, I have always been interested in non-traditional approaches to therapy and treatment,” Dr. Christie says. “My unique and diverse clinical background, combined with rich personal experience helps me better understand and synthesize healing across disciplines — something Numinus is on a mission to achieve.”

In her role as Numinus’s Medical Director, she will lead a working group and advisory team for the purpose of protocol development and establishing a standard of excellence and professionalism in the safe and ethical delivery of Numinus’s new therapies; provide input on the organizational structure and lead the hiring of key clinical staff and contractors to establish the clinical team for the safe delivery of Numinus’ therapies (when psychedelic therapies are approved for use by regulators); and, as plans are developed to establish Numinus clinical sites, assist in the planning and establishment of physical infrastructure and clinic procedures required for delivering Numinus’ services.

For Full Release: https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/dr-devon-christie-md-ccfp-rtc-ifmcp-joins-numinus-as-medical-director-831135217.html

Numinus Wellness Inc. (“Numinus”; TSX-V: NUMI) is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Gabor Maté, MD, CM, as a Member of the Numinus Clinical Advisory Council. Through over 30 years’ work in family practice, palliative care and addiction medicine, Dr. Maté has pioneered therapies and innovative, trauma-based approaches to mental health. His advocacy for mental health research and awareness have earned him international recognition from the healthcare community.

“We at Numinus are extremely honoured and excited to have someone with Gabor’s pedigree and on-the-ground experience,” says Numinus CEO Payton Nyquvest. “Gabor offers exceptional insight on the mental health landscape and its future, which greatly complements our goals and mission at Numinus.”

As a Member of the Clinical Advisory Council, Dr. Maté will be a vital resource in helping Numinus develop treatments and drive policy changes within the healthcare industry. Additionally, Dr. Maté will also use his network to enhance Numinus’s collaboration with other leading researchers and groups working in mental illness, addiction and trauma treatment.

“Gabor is a well-respected clinician with a wealth of knowledge on the links between trauma and mental health, as well as ways to promote healing,” says Dr. Evan Wood, Chief Medical Officer of Numinus. “He has been on the forefront of innovative mental health strategies for many years and I look forward to collaborating with him to advance the Numinus model.”

Dr. Maté is internationally recognised for his expertise in addiction, trauma, childhood development, and the link between stress and illness. Beyond his work as a medical practitioner, he is a sought-after speaker and bestselling author with reprints in over 25 languages. His book on addiction received the Hubert Evans Prize for literary non-fiction. For his groundbreaking medical work and writing, he has been awarded the Order of Canada, Canada’s highest civilian distinction, and the Civic Merit Award from his hometown of Vancouver, B.C.

As part of his effort to broaden public awareness of mental illness and contribute to the local community, Dr. Maté spent over a decade working in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside caring for patients facing severe addiction and mental health challenges. Dr. Maté continues to push boundaries and identify new pathways for healing and advancement in mental health.

For Full Release: https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/dr-gabor-mate-recognised-physician-and-bestselling-author-joins-numinus-as-member-of-the-clinical-advisory-council-865102880.html

Numinus Wellness Inc. (“Numinus”) is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Evan Wood, MD, PhD, ABIM, FASAM, FRCPC, ABAM Diplomat as Chief Medical Officer with Numinus, effective immediately. Dr. Wood, who over a 20-year career has gained international recognition as a leading researcher into addiction, most recently as the Executive Director of the British Columbia Centre on Substance Use (BCCSU) — a leading research organization into the treatment of substance use and addiction.

“This is an exciting day for all of us at Numinus,” says Numinus CEO Payton Nyquvest. “Dr. Wood is a recognized leader in the area of addiction research and treatment and he will play a central role in advancing the Numinus mission to help people heal and be well.”

As Chief Medical Officer with Numinus, Dr. Wood will play a lead role in helping to establish the evolving Numinus models of care, including defining and hiring the medical and therapeutic team. He will also lead the design of an interdisciplinary medical education program, serve as the company’s primary representative in all research partnerships and protocol development, work with regulators and health authority leadership to advance psychedelic therapies, and help ensure Numinus centres operate within all medical and regulatory guidelines.  

“I share the Numinus position that the societal costs of mental illness, addiction, trauma and unmet human potential are much too high,” says Dr. Wood. “My work and the work of others in the field indicate the value of continuing to explore the use of psychedelic substances in safe, controlled therapeutic environments to address these issues, and I look forward to positioning Numinus as a leader in this emerging area of treatment.”

Dr. Wood has had a longstanding interest in psychedelic assisted psychotherapy through his involvement with the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) trial of MDMA assisted psychotherapy and through emerging work examining the potential of psilocybin assisted psychotherapy for a range of mental health disorders.

In addition to his ongoing work with research and clinical activities, Dr. Wood is also a professor of medicine at the University of British Columbia, where he helps lead the university’s efforts in the area of addiction prevention and treatment through a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair. Dr. Wood has previously been the Physician Program Director for Addiction Services at Providence Health Care, Medical Director for Community Addiction Services at Vancouver Coastal Health, and the founding Director of North America’s largest clinical and research fellowship training programs for addiction medicine physicians based at UBC.

Throughout his career, Dr. Wood has played an instrumental role in bringing research ideas from the laboratory into routine use in the health care system.  He was the lead author of the first study to show that HIV treatment could prevent the transmission of HIV infection among those who inject drugs which contributed to a revision of international therapeutic guidelines. Dr. Wood was also the founding principal investigator of Insite, North America’s medically supervised safer injecting facility — a life saving intervention now common in most large Canadian cities. His work in the area of addiction treatment has contributed to the development of innovative and widely adopted provincial and national therapeutic guidelines . In addition to leading transformative health system interventions, Dr. Wood has been regularly funded by the US National Institute on Drug Abuse and has co-authored more than 400 scientific papers. Through his ongoing work with UBC and the BCCSU, Dr. Wood is also the Principal Investigator for the BC Node of the Canadian Research Initiative in Substance Misuse (CRISM) a Canadian Institutes of Health Research funded national addiction research network.

Dr. Wood’s Additional Roles & Resources:

• Advisor to the Global Commission on Drug Policy
• Founder of the International Centre for Science in Drug Policy (now the International Centre for Drug Policy Evaluation), a vehicle for supporting several drug policy reforms including the drafting of the Vienna Declaration and the Global Commission on Drug Policy’s work on HIV/AIDS
• Founder of the Stop the Violence BC coalition that advocated for the taxation and regulation of the adult use of Cannabis in Canada
• Former Associate Editor of the International Journal of Drug Policy
• Principal Investigator of the evaluation of North America’s First Medically Supervised Safer Injecting Facility (see his research)
• Consulted for the World Health Organization
• Provided expert advice to the BC Supreme Court and the Supreme Court of Canada
• Complete List of over 600 Published Works in Dr. Wood’s Bibliography

Awards:

• Selected for the Canadian Institutes of Health Research’s Peter Lougheed Award as the nation’s top New Investigator applicant (2003)
• Recipient of the Ron Ghitter Award in Human Rights (2006)
• Recipient of a leadership award from the Canadian Medical Association (2007)
• Physician of the Year award from the British Medical Journal (2010)

For Full Release: https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/dr-evan-wood-recognized-leader-in-the-field-of-substance-use-research-and-treatment-joins-numinus-as-chief-medical-officer-886689056.html

With momentum building for the use of psychedelic assisted therapies in addressing the growing problems of mental illness, addiction and trauma, Vancouver-based Numinus Wellness Inc. began trading today on the TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol NUMI as one of the first in-market, fully integrated companies in the psychedelic space in North America.

“This is an exciting day for all of us at Numinus,” says CEO Payton Nyquvest. “We are on a mission to help address the universal desire to heal and be well. We are looking for like-minded investors who share our belief that new approaches and new ways of thinking are needed to supplement existing options.”

Numinus has put a value chain in place comprising three pillars that will be key to the company’s growth:

• Numinus Wellness plans to offer physical locations where psychedelic-assisted therapies can take place once approved by regulators. The company’s near-term goal is to identify a suitable location and build a purpose-built, flagship wellness centre to conduct psychedelics-assisted therapies in a safe, controlled therapeutic environment when approved by regulators and governing bodies — a process we are helping to support. Numinus Wellness provides a full suite of therapeutic services through a wellness centre in Vancouver; however, psychedelic-assisted therapies are not currently provided.
• Numinus R&D is creating partnerships with leading research groups to advance practice and understanding in the space.
• Numinus Bioscience is licensed by Health Canada to test, sell, distribute, and eventually conduct research on psychedelic substances. Sustainable cannabis revenue driven by our testing operations provides us a foundation for growth – differentiating us from others in the psychedelics space.

“We are excited about the future of psychedelics and our focus will solely be on its therapeutic use,” says Nyquvest. “Psychedelics will move forward in a therapeutic and research context, where the application of these substances will only happen in safe, controlled treatment environments. Numinus has these pieces in place today.”

The efficacy of psychedelic therapies are gaining attention. Johns Hopkins University recently announced the Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research, a first-of-its-kind $17-million research centre designed to study compounds like LSD and psilocybin for a range of mental health problems, including anorexia, addiction and depression. In 2017, the US Food and Drug Association (FDA) granted Breakthrough Therapy Designation to MDMA for the treatment of PTSD, and MDMA is currently in the final research phase required by the FDA before deciding whether to approve MDMA as a legal prescription treatment for PTSD in the US. British Columbia’s BC Centre on Substance Use has attracted leading researchers in the field to advance evidence-based research into the therapeutic benefits of psychedelics.

For Full Release: https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/numinus-wellness-inc-commences-trading-on-tsx-venture-exchange-as-numi-848780337.html