Columbia Care Inc. (NEO: CCHW) (CSE: CCHW) (OTCQX: CCHWF) (FSE: 3LP) (“Columbia Care” or the “Company”), announced today that it is the first company to formulate medical cannabis extract vaporizer pen products in a UK-based manufacturing premises, licensed and approved by the UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and Home Office.
The products launched under its flagship medical Ceed brand and are comprised of four formulations that will be available for patients throughout the UK when prescribed by a specialist consultant. These new vaporizer pens complete Columbia Care’s initial medical product portfolio, which includes tinctures, launched in April 2020, and its proprietary solid-fill powder capsules, launched in April 2021, that remain unique in the UK market. This portfolio of products offers clinicians and patients in the UK the broadest range of medicinal cannabis products with the capability to target different onset periods and duration of effect.
“Columbia Care’s mission has always been to provide patients with access to the highest quality, safest medicinal cannabis products available. There are 28 million people suffering from chronic pain in the UK and this range of formulations offers pain doctors the best and most comprehensive selection of cannabinoid treatment options for their patients. We are proud to leverage our proprietary IP, formulation expertise, safety surveillance and patient reported data from the U.S. to bring innovation and precision to the growing UK medical cannabis market. We are witnessing increasing numbers of leading doctors integrate the use of medicinal cannabis into their practice evidencing growing acceptance in the UK of the clinical value of cannabinoids,” said Nicholas Vita, CEO, Columbia Care.
The four new Ceed vaporizer formulations have been selected based on insights from Columbia Care’s IMPACT RegistryTM and from feedback provided by UK-based patients. The range offers two different THC:CBD ratios, each with two different terpene profile options — either uplifting or calming. The cartridges are formulated in the UK in MHRA and Home Office approved facilities, using Columbia Care’s formulation methodology developed from its years of experience in the U.S. Vaporizers offer patients a discrete and easy-to-use method which U.S.-based patients have included in their daily lives. When compared with flower, often used for its fast-acting effects, it particularly appeals to cannabis-naïve patients and those with limited dexterity or motor function.
With the addition of these vaporizers, the Ceed product line now offers three different pharmacokinetic options for clinicians to use in their practice. Vaporizers offer a fast onset option, which the IMPACT RegistryTM demonstrates is commonly used by patients alongside another formulation such as a tincture or capsule. Those formulations provide longer-lasting effects for patients throughout the course of the day or for patients seeking night-long effects while they sleep.
“UK clinicians practising with cannabis have been telling us that they find cannabis flower difficult to dose, but they recognise the need for fast-onset options for patients experiencing breakthrough pain. With the introduction of these vaporizer cartridges, clinicians now have a toolkit of doseable formulations with a range of onset period and duration to help their patients in a similar way to how they use other medicines. The vaporizers also have the advantage of being discrete and easy to use which will help many patients who are either cannabis-naïve or who want to continue with their regular daily activities, such as going to work, without the fear of being judged. We are delighted to be able to bring this important line of products to the UK market,” said Rosemary Mazanet, M.D./Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer, Columbia Care.
IPS Pharma will dispense Columbia Care vaporizers and cartridges directly to patients nationwide. It is also expected that these will be available across a wider range of the pharmacies dispensing medicinal cannabis prescriptions in the coming weeks.
