Whether you are familiar with it or not there have been relatively rapid advancements in health care and research utilizing psychedelic-centered solutions to treat addiction and mental illness. In fact, in Canada, Horizons ETFs have a Psychedelic Stock Index ETF (TSX: PSYK) which should tell you that this isn’t a new or underground market theme. In the U.S. there is Defiance ETFs’ Next Gen Altered Experience ETF (AMEX: PSY) that focuses on the usage of psychedelics, medical cannabis, and ketamine for medicinal and health treatment purposes. In other words, this is an evolving industry that interested investors should already be paying attention to.

If you haven’t paid any attention thus far or weren’t even aware of this, then today is your lucky day as we are going to have a look at one of these life science companies involved in the psychedelic industry. Awakn Life Sciences Corp. (NEO: AWKN) is a biotechnology company with clinical operations; researching, developing, and delivering psychedelic medicine to better treat addiction. Awakn’s team consists of world leading chemists, scientists, psychiatrists, and psychologists who are developing and advancing the next generation of psychedelic drugs, therapies and enabling technologies to treat addiction. Unlike other medical disciplines, psychiatry focuses on maintenance rather than cure, and symptom suppression rather than addressing the root causes of these illnesses. The exception is psychedelics and psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy which has the potential to radically change addiction treatment and deliver significantly better patient outcomes.

Mental health and addictions are the 5^th leading cause of illness globally. A WHO report on the percentage of people aged 15 years and older with harmful alcohol use or dependence globally in 2016, suggested that 15-20% of the global adult population, or between 840 million and 1.1 billion people, suffer from addiction such as alcohol, gambling or tobacco use. And 70% of that global treatment market is estimated to be from the U.S. and Europe. The global substance addiction treatment industry is currently valued at US$17.5 billion per annum and is forecast to increase to US$31.5 billion per annum by 2027. Without trying to make light of the situation, I wouldn’t be surprised if a global pandemic doesn’t help spur this increase on a little quicker.

It’s obvious there is a problem, and conventional methods to remediate or cure this problem appear to be having limited success. Of those who are deemed to suffer from Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD), only 16% of those suffering seek treatment, with a 70% relapse rate within 12 months. Hence the need to build a better mouse trap, so to speak. The team at Awakn is focused on being the leader in psychedelic drug and therapy research to treat addiction. They ascribe to deliver psychedelic treatments for addiction and other mental health conditions in a chain of Awakn owned clinics in the UK and EU.

Source: Awakn Life Sciences Corporate Presentation

Along with the clinics the Company recently announced it had undertaken a program of clinical research designed to demonstrate the effectiveness for ketamine-assisted psychotherapy against multiple addictions. Awakn’s ketamine research program will focus initially on treating AUD and gambling addiction. The program will consist of a late-stage clinical trial focused on AUD, a mechanistic study focused on gambling addiction and intellectual property development activities. Awakn will be the only company in the world providing evidence-backed ketamine-assisted psychotherapy for AUD. They are also in a Phase IIB clinical trial to assess the efficacy of MDMA-Assisted Therapy for AUD, having recently announced the filing of patent applications in the U.S. for two next-generation novel MDMA-derived new chemical entities. This further strengthens Awakn’s intellectual property portfolio and pipeline for the treatment of a broad range of addictions.

Source: Awakn Life Sciences Corporate Presentation

If you haven’t heard of Awakn before, it may be because they just started trading on the Neo Exchange on June 23^rd as a result of a reverse takeover. Concurrent with this transaction they closed an $8.3 million financing at $2.50 which, combined with prior working capital, is anticipated to provide enough funding for the next 12 months. By then the Company should be generating at least some revenue from its clinics and hopefully, have a lot more news out about its development drug pipeline. With only 24.5 million shares outstanding (23% owned by management and insiders) and a $44 million market cap, there could be a lot of leverage to good news. So it’s time to get up to speed on psychedelics.

In a recent InvestorIntel interview, Tracy Weslosky speaks with Anthony Tennyson, CEO of Awakn Life Sciences Corp. (NEO: AWKN) about Awakn’s commitment to use researched backed psychedelic drugs and therapies to treat addictions such as Alcohol Use Disorder.

In this InvestorIntel interview, which may also be viewed on YouTube (click here to subscribe to the InvestorIntel Channel), Anthony went on to say that Alcohol Use Disorder affects 5% of the global population with a 70% relapse rate within the 1st 12 months and accounts for 30% of the global addiction treatment market. Anthony further said that as clinics start to rollout this year starting with the UK, “Awakn will be the only company in the world providing evidence backed ketamine-assisted psychotherapy for Alcohol Use Disorder.”

To watch the full interview, click here

About Awakn Life Sciences Corp.

Awakn Life Sciences is a biotechnology company with clinical operations, researching, developing, and delivering psychedelic medicine to better treat Addiction. Awakn’s team consists of world leading chemists, scientists, psychiatrists, and psychologists who are developing and advancing the next generation of psychedelic drugs, therapies, and enabling technologies to treat Addiction. Awakn will also deliver evidence backed psychedelic therapies for Addiction in clinics in the UK and Europe and through licencing partnerships globally.

To learn more about Awakn Life Sciences Corp., click here

Disclaimer: Awakn Life Sciences Corp. is an advertorial member of InvestorIntel Corp.

This interview, which was produced by InvestorIntel Corp. (IIC) does not contain, nor does it purport to contain, a summary of all the material information concerning the “Company” being interviewed. IIC offers no representations or warranties that any of the information contained in this interview is accurate or complete. 

This presentation may contain “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation.  Forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and assumptions of management of the Company as of the date made. They are inherently susceptible to uncertainty and other factors that could cause actual events/results to differ materially from these forward-looking statements. Additional risks and uncertainties, including those that the Company does not know about now or that it currently deems immaterial, may also adversely affect the Company’s business or any investment therein.

Any projections given are principally intended for use as objectives and are not intended, and should not be taken,  as assurances that the projected results will be obtained by the Company. The assumptions used may not prove to be accurate and a potential decline in the Company’s financial condition or results of operations may negatively impact the value of its securities. Prospective investors are urged to review the Company’s profile on Sedar.com and to carry out independent investigations in order to determine their interest in investing in the Company.

If you have any questions surrounding the content of this interview, please email [email protected].

In a recent InvestorIntel interview, Tracy Weslosky speaks with Anthony Tennyson, CEO of Awakn Life Sciences Corp. (NEO: AWKN) about Awakn’s recent listing on the NEO Exchange and bringing evidence-backed psychedelic therapies for addiction to the market.

In this InvestorIntel interview, which may also be viewed on YouTube (click here to subscribe to the InvestorIntel Channel), Anthony went on to say that Awakn is a biotech company that develops and delivers addiction treatment using psychedelic inspired drugs and therapies backed by research evidence and a team of world leading scientists, psychiatrists, and psychologists. With 15-20% of the UK, EU, US and Canadian population suffering from Addiction, Anthony said “the current industry is not as effective as it should be and there hasn’t been an innovation in addiction treatment in many years. We are going to change that.”

To watch the full interview, click here

About Awakn Life Sciences Corp.

Awakn Life Sciences is a biotechnology company with clinical operations, researching, developing, and delivering psychedelic medicine to better treat Addiction. Awakn’s team consists of world leading chemists, scientists, psychiatrists, and psychologists who are developing and advancing the next generation of psychedelic drugs, therapies, and enabling technologies to treat Addiction. Awakn will also deliver evidence backed psychedelic therapies for Addiction in clinics in the UK and Europe and through licencing partnerships globally.

To learn more about Awakn Life Sciences Corp., click here

Disclaimer: Awakn Life Sciences Corp. is an advertorial member of InvestorIntel Corp.

This interview, which was produced by InvestorIntel Corp. (IIC) does not contain, nor does it purport to contain, a summary of all the material information concerning the “Company” being interviewed. IIC offers no representations or warranties that any of the information contained in this interview is accurate or complete. 

This presentation may contain “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation.  Forward-looking statements are based on the opinions and assumptions of management of the Company as of the date made. They are inherently susceptible to uncertainty and other factors that could cause actual events/results to differ materially from these forward-looking statements. Additional risks and uncertainties, including those that the Company does not know about now or that it currently deems immaterial, may also adversely affect the Company’s business or any investment therein.

Any projections given are principally intended for use as objectives and are not intended, and should not be taken,  as assurances that the projected results will be obtained by the Company. The assumptions used may not prove to be accurate and a potential decline in the Company’s financial condition or results of operations may negatively impact the value of its securities. Prospective investors are urged to review the Company’s profile on www.Sedar.com and to carry out independent investigations in order to determine their interest in investing in the Company.

If you have any questions surrounding the content of this interview, please email [email protected].

One of the largest problems in our society today is substance abuse and addiction. Almost 21 million Americans have at least one addiction. Addiction (drugs, tobacco, and alcohol etc) kills thousands of Americans every year and impacts millions of lives. For example, mental health and addictions are the 5th leading cause of illness globally, affecting 20% of the global population.

Today’s company is in the sector of biotechnology and focuses on research and treatment to treat addiction and other mental disorders. They have already assembled a very impressive team.

15-20% of the population in USA, EU, UK & Canada are affected by addiction

Source: Awakn Life Sciences company presentation

Awakn Life Sciences Corp. (NEO: AWKN) (“Awakn”) listed yesterday on the NEO Exchange Inc. in Canada under the symbol “AWKN”, after a reverse merger and raise of gross proceeds of approximately US$8.3 million through a brokered private placement. Awakn is a biotechnology company with clinical operations that researches, develops, and delivers psychedelic and other medicines to treat addiction. The Company also plans to use psychedelic medicines to treat other mental health conditions.

Awakn CEO, Anthony Tennyson, stated:

“Listing on the NEO is an important milestone for Awakn to continue to build on our dual strategic focus of developing psychedelic drugs, therapies, and enabling technologies to treat Addiction, and delivering psychedelic treatments for Addiction in our clinics…..The NEO listing will enable us to accelerate the execution of our drug discovery, therapy development, advanced analytics, and open clinic roll out programs.”

Awakn’s team consists of world leading chemists, scientists, psychiatrists, and psychologists who are developing and advancing the next generation of psychedelic drugs, therapies and enabling technologies to treat addiction. Awakn state:

“Psychedelics and Psychedelic-Assisted Psychotherapy….have the potential to radically change Addiction treatment and deliver significantly better patient outcomes.”

Awakn’s business strategy

Awakn has a dual strategic focus of researching and developing psychedelic drugs/therapies/enabling technologies and delivering psychedelic treatments.

Awakn’s research will focus on developing next generation psychedelic drugs to treat addiction, including MDMA for alcohol use disorder, and ketamine for addiction. Awakn also intends to research for new chemical entities that can be effective treatment for alcohol, behavioural, opioid, and tobacco addictions.

Awakn plans to deliver evidence-backed psychedelic therapies for addiction in clinics in the UK and Europe and through licensing partnerships globally. The Company also plans to use psychedelic medicines to treat other mental health conditions.

Awakn’s team (Board, management, advisors)

The Awakn team is simply very impressive. You can read the full details here. Needless to say the Awakn team consists of several Doctors, Professors, and experienced personnel in the addictive disorders specialty. In news released today, Awakn announced that they have appointed globally renowned Neuroscientist and addiction researcher, Professor David Nutt, to the role of Chief Research Officer. Awakn state:

“This appointment is driven by the expansion of Awakn’s psychedelic drug and therapy development pipeline targeting Addiction. In particular, the identification, and development of several potential new candidates with unique properties to better treat a broad range of addictions, acquired from Prof. David Nutt’s Equasy Enterprises in March 2021; the licencing of the intellectual property from world’s only Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy trial for Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) from the University of Exeter in March 2021. And finally, the world’s only Phase IIb trial for MDMA-Assisted Psychotherapy for AUD.”

Awakn has a highly experienced board and team

Source: Awakn Life Sciences company presentation

Closing remarks

Addiction of all types (alcohol, tobacco, drugs) is a significant societal problem with a strong need for urgent solutions. The global substance addiction treatment industry is valued at US$17.5 billion pa and is forecast to increase to US$31.5 billion pa by 2027.

Awakn Life Sciences has assembled a world class team to research and treat both addiction and other mental disorders. For those investors lucky enough to be able to access the NEO Exchange in Canada then be sure to take a look at Awakn Life Sciences. InvestorIntel will also keep you up to date here with their latest news and progress in 2021.

The liberalization of cannabis usage (pun intended) has made strides in opening up other aspects of the drug spectrum. To that end, today we are going to look at Numinus Wellness Inc. (TSXV: NUMI), a leader in health care and research creating psychedelic centered solutions to treat mental illness, substance abuse and trauma.

There has been a paradigm shift in the treatment of mental illness over the last few years. Psychedelics are becoming more accepted, validated by academic and industry research, and recognized by Canadian and US regulators. In 2019 the Imperial College London and Johns Hopkins opened the world’s first psychedelic research centers. In late 2020, Health Canada first approved psilocybin therapy for select patients with terminal illness and then went a step further by proposing a federal regulatory revision to allow controlled psychedelic access outside of clinical trials.

At this point, you may be questioning if I’m on psilocybin (more commonly known as magic mushrooms) or MDMA (also referred to as ecstasy or molly). Obviously, we aren’t talking about the street version of these drugs but safe, evidence-based psychedelic assisted therapies. The Numinus Wellness model, which includes psychedelic production, research and clinic care, is at the forefront of a transformation aimed at healing rather than managing symptoms for depression, anxiety, trauma, pain and substance abuse. Numinus is leading the integration of psychedelic-assisted therapies into mainstream clinical practice, and building the foundation for a healthier society.

The company is broken down into three distinct divisions: Numinus Health – which delivers treatments through clinics and virtual services, with clinics in Vancouver and Montreal; Numinus R&D – which is developing clinical and therapeutic protocols to use in treatments, in collaboration with research partners and regulators; and Numinus Bioscience – currently developing formulations and methods for therapeutics, using Health Canada licenses, scientific expertise and cutting-edge technology. The company enjoys high barriers to entry, reinforced by IP (intellectual property), proprietary protocols, medical expertise, strategic partnerships and regulatory relationships.

Monday, the company announced a Phase 1 Clinical Trial of natural psilocybin mushroom extraction prepared at the company lab. The Phase 1 trial, done in partnership with KGK Science, will enroll human volunteers and assess the safety and psychoactive properties of a Psilocybe mushroom product extracted and formulated at the Numinus Bioscience lab in British Columbia. Successful completion of the landmark trial would result in safety and efficacy data for a natural psilocybin product. The trial supports Canada’s leadership in the safe production of a key psychedelic that has shown promise in treating mental health conditions.

Psychedelic therapies are increasingly demonstrating efficacy, from psilocybin relieving major depression with greater efficacy than traditional antidepressants to MDMA for PTSD showing both substantial clinical impact and potential cost-savings of millions of dollars per year. A recent article suggested the psychedelic drugs market size is projected to reach $10.75 B by 2027 making this industry one to take note of.

Despite the announcement of its Clinical Trial, it’s more likely that the stock was up 19% on big volume over the last three days on news that one of its peers, Mind Medicine Inc. (NEO: MMED | Nasdaq: MNMD), announced it begins trading on the Nasdaq today causing Mind Medicine to rally 89% over the same period. The chatboards are rife with rumors that Numinus will follow suit with its own Nasdaq listing. However, this is not a meme stock. The company recently closed a $40M financing, bringing its cash position to $65M. They have a Phase 1 Clinical Trial, are well capitalized to prove out the science behind their proprietary clinical research and are already generating revenue (albeit not cash flow positive). Numinus is well positioned to grow organically, by acquisition or both.

Disclosure: The author is long Numinus Wellness (TSXV: NUMI).

Greenlight for Red Light Holland as Distribution Agreements Grow

Red Light Holland Corp. (CSE: TRIP) (“RLH”) engages in the production, growth, and sale of a premium brand of magic/hallucinogenic truffles to the recreational market in the Netherlands.

The Company is pre-revenue, with lots of potential, as it builds out a custom, 3000 square foot growing facility in Horst, the Netherlands.

To generate some immediate revenue and build its brand, the Company procured 10,000 units of psychedelic truffles for re-sale and started selling its Microdosing Packs of magic truffles in September through existing Smart Shop operators and its e-commerce platform. Its Microdosing Pack contains a small amount of magic truffle promoting responsible use, with the drug benefits but without the intensity of a full psychoactive experience.

Distributions Deals

In September, RLH signed a distribution agreement for its Microdosing Packs with Super Smart’s location in Tiel, the Netherlands.

Then in October, the Company reached a distribution arrangement with Smartshop Oss, in Oss, the Netherlands.

Finally, RLH completed a distribution arrangement with 3 House of Smart locations in the Netherlands, located in the cities of Rotterdam, Eindhoven and Den Bosch.

Todd Shapiro, CEO of RLH, commented, “clearly we are excited for a broad and diverse adult demographic, within all of these beautiful areas, to soon have the opportunity to see our brand and potentially purchase our responsible-use product.”

Psychedelics Industry

The psychedelics industry is similar to where the cannabis industry was 10 years ago as it fights for legalization in various countries. The use of psychedelic products is currently illegal in most jurisdictions, however countries such as the Netherlands and Jamaica have legalized some forms of psychedelics.

Psilocybin is the chemical alkaloid that induces psychedelic effects, often found in psilocybin mushrooms (“magic mushrooms”) or psilocybin truffles (“magic truffles”).

RLH is currently growing 3 different strains of magic truffles: Psilocybe Mexicana, Psilocybe Galindoi, and Psilocybe Tampanensis, and expects to have an initial batch of 100,000 grams of magic truffles available this quarter.

Retail establishments in the Netherlands that specializes in the sale of psychoactive substances, such as magic truffles, are called Smart Shops. There are an estimated 100 Smart Shops operating in the Netherlands, generating over US$100 million in sales annually.

New Clinical Market

The psychedelics industry has since gained some traction with pharmaceutical companies starting to research the effects of psychedelics on a range of medical ailments from mental health to cancer.

In September, RLH announced that its science division, Scarlette Lillie Science and Innovation, entered into a relationship with Jinfiniti Precision Medicine in order to explore the potential roles that psilocybin and magic truffles can play for age-related and psychiatric disorders.

Jinfiniti has created a blood test that can detect key factors that drive aging and other genetic instabilities. Jinfiniti’s fast and low cost test allows for scientists from both companies to clearly evaluate the potential for psilocybin treatments that go beyond what is currently being explored.

The relationship with Jinfiniti opens up a whole new clinical market that goes beyond the recreational market.

High Profile Management Team

RLH has several prominent management executives and celebrities to help drive its growth and brand recognition, including: Ann Barnes, co-founder of Peace Naturals; Bruce Linton, founder and former CEO of Canopy Growth; Tony Clement, the former Health Minister of Canada (2006-2008); and, Russell Peters, a comedian with international brand recognition and over 5.5 million people on his social media platforms.

Funded for Growth

The Company had $6.6 million in cash as of June 30, 2020, after raising over $4 million in private placement in June.

RLH is currently trading at $0.08 with a market cap of only $17.2 million has plenty of room for upside gains.

iMicrodose Pack of Magic Truffles by Red Light Holland

Source

“We have named a Science and Innovation division called Scarlette Lillie… We thought that this is a way to show investors how serious we are about our medical, our scientific and research division because not only is Red Light Holland a recreational opportunity, where we plan our products on shelves by Q4, but we also want to show the world that we are taking this side very seriously of trying to prove and being a part of the process of what psilocybin can potentially do for human beings…We want to create this division and grow this division to get involved with observational studies, clinical studies and show the scientific community and be a part of some intellectual property…” States Todd Shapiro, Co-Founder, CEO and Director of Red Light Holland Corp. (CSE: TRIP), in an interview with InvestorIntel’s Tracy Weslosky.

Todd went on to comment on the appointment of Canada’s former Health Minister, the Honourable, Tony P. Clement, as a Senior Advisor to Red Light Holland’s Advisory Board. Mr. Clement has served in senior roles in Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s Cabinet (2006-2015), as Health Minister, Industry Minister and President of the Treasury Board. Todd also said that Red Light Holland has a strong cash position and is building a very strong team which includes Dr. Joseph Geraci, a leading mind in the medicine and machine learning fields and global comedy superstar, Russell Peters.

To access the complete interview, click here

Disclaimer: Red Light Holland Corp. is an advertorial member of InvestorIntel Corp.

“Psychedelics are a multibillion-dollar market….and that is what this industry is banking on. We are product based, we are a premium brand — the Red Light Truffle will be available in smart shops and we potentially could even have products within the smart shops and on an advanced e-commerce platform by the end of Q3. We plan on setting up a facility that we hope one day will qualify for EU-GMP certification. That means that we can grow a perfect clean room medical grade truffle that could potentially be tested…truffles are sold legally in Netherlands…we think we can capitalize with a premium brand feel and with a micro dose responsible use product.” States Todd Shapiro, Co-Founder, CEO and Director of Red Light Holland Corp. (CSE: TRIP), in an interview with InvestorIntel’s Tracy Weslosky.

Todd went on to say that Red Light Holland will have two divisions – Red Light Recreational and Red Light Health. The company is starting with recreational and will have a medical play in the future. Todd also said that Bruce Linton is the Chairman of Red Light Holland’s Advisory Board. Bruce is the founder and former CEO of Canopy Growth Corporation. Under his leadership, Canopy Growth was the first cannabis producing company in North America to be listed on a major stock exchange (TSX) and included on a major stock index (S&P/TSX Composite Index). Canopy Growth was also the first cannabis-producing company to list on the New York Stock Exchange.

To access the complete interview, click here

Disclaimer: Red Light Holland Corp. is an advertorial member of InvestorIntel Corp.