PERTH, Australia, Jan. 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — Zelira Therapeutics Limited (ASX: ZLD,OTCQB: ZLDAF) is pleased to announce a collaboration with the Parkinson’s Foundation, one of the United States of America’s leading communities for people living with Parkinson’s disease (PD), to gather insights from people with PD about their understanding of and use of medical cannabis and hemp-derived therapies. In 2019, Zelira Therapeutics participated in the Medical Cannabis Conference organized by the Parkinson’s Foundation, and is now assisting in the development of a survey to understand the current use and perceived benefits of medical cannabis among people with PD. This collaboration combines the Foundation’s understanding of the underlying science of Parkinson’s disease and the most prevalent symptoms impacting people with the disease with Zelira Therapeutics’ extensive experience in pharmaceutical and condition-specific medical cannabis product development.
As part of this collaboration, Zelira and Parkinson’s Foundation will:
- Consult on the development of a survey tool to be sent to people with Parkinson’s to understand why and how they are using medical cannabis and hemp-derived CBD products currently;
- Review the results as they relate to a future clinical trial on the safety and efficacy of medical cannabis use by people with Parkinson’s disease;
Separately, Zelira will:
- Incorporate survey insights to inform future development of clinically validated medical cannabis and hemp-derived CBD medicines for people with Parkinson’s disease, and provide guidance to people with Parkinson’s regarding various cannabinoid-based and hemp-derived CBD treatment alternatives.
John Lehr, President and CEO of the Parkinson’s Foundation, stated that “Many people with Parkinson’s disease are seeking help with their symptoms by trying various forms of medical cannabis. The volume and frequency of questions Parkinson’s Foundation receive from people with Parkinson’s regarding the safety and impact of medical cannabis and CBD has led us to examine this public health issue more fully, and to seek collaborations with leaders in the field from academia, government, advocacy groups and industry to provide the most accurate information possible. Zelira Therapeutics, a leader in disease-specific medical cannabis therapeutics, has committed to helping people with Parkinson’s understand the role that medical cannabis might play in managing their daily symptoms.”
Tom Borger, Chief Business Officer at Zelira, who participated as a thought leader in the Parkinson’s Medical Cannabis Conference, observed, “The challenge for people with Parkinson’s is clear, as there is a lack of definitive studies informing clinicians and patients with Parkinson’s about the safety and efficacy of medical cannabis. One of the objectives of the survey and this collaboration is to provide guidance to people with Parkinson about the need for clinically validated medical marijuana and hemp-derived CBD medicines that might address their symptoms.”
Osagie Imasogie, Founder and Chairman of Zelira stated that “Our Zelira Board is very supportive of this collaboration with the Parkinson’s Foundation which will provide us with essential insights to inform our product development to address the specific needs of people with Parkinson’s disease. This effort is consistent with our focus on patients and our desire to provide them with as many treatment options as possible.”
Tim Slate
Company Secretary
About Zelira Therapeutics (www.zeliratx.com)
Zelira Therapeutics Ltd is a leading global therapeutic medicinal cannabis company with access to the world’s largest and fastest growing cannabis markets. Zelira owns a portfolio of proprietary revenue generating products and a pipeline of candidates undergoing clinical development that are positioned to enter global markets from 2020. The company is focused on developing branded cannabis products for the treatment of a variety of medical conditions.
The Company is undertaking:
- Human clinical trial programs focused on insomnia, autism and opioid reduction with activities in Australia and the USA.
- Pre-clinical research examining the effect of cannabinoids in breast, brain and pancreatic cancer as well as research examining the potential for cannabinoids to treat diabetes-associated cognitive decline.
The Company conducts this work in partnership with world-leading researchers and organizations including Complutense University in Madrid, Spain; Curtin University in Perth, Western Australia; the Telethon Kids Institute in Perth; the University of Western Australia, in Perth; St. Vincent’s Hospital in Melbourne, Australia; and the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) in the United States.
Zelira has also formed a strategic partnership with European medicinal cannabis group HAPA Pharm BV, to access HAPA Pharm’s EU-GMP grade manufacturing capabilities and accessing its German distribution network providing a credible and rapid path to commercialization for successful clinically validated formulations.
The Company has developed two proprietary formulations (HOPE®) already launched and generating revenues in Pennsylvania, has laboratory capabilities to develop formulations in Pennsylvania and Louisiana with ability to conduct clinical trials and is establishing a national footprint across the US for the licensing of its products. The company also has a partnership with Ethicann for the development of a proprietary product, CAN-001, which is being developed for the treatment of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV), which occurs in approximately 80% of the new 23.6 million cases of cancer annually worldwide.
About the Parkinson’s Foundation
The Parkinson’s Foundation was formed by the merger of the National Parkinson Foundation (NPF) and the Parkinson’s Disease Foundation (PDF), both established in 1957, with offices in New York and Miami. The Parkinson’s Foundation makes life better for people with Parkinson’s disease by improving care and advancing research toward a cure. In everything we do, we build on the energy, experience and passion of our global Parkinson’s community. For more information, visit www.parkinson.org or call +(800) 4PD-INFO (473-4636).
About Parkinson’s Disease
Affecting nearly one million Americans and 10 million worldwide, Parkinson’s disease is the second-most common neurodegenerative disease after Alzheimer’s and is the 14th-leading cause of death in the United States. It is associated with a progressive loss of motor control (e.g., shaking or tremor at rest and lack of facial expression), as well as non-motor symptoms (e.g., depression and anxiety). There is no cure for Parkinson’s and 60,000 new cases are diagnosed each year in the United States alone.
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