Tag Archives: Supreme Pharmaceuticals Inc.

Supreme Pharmaceuticals Inc shapes medical marijuana strategy around Canada

This story was originally published at www.proactiveinvestors.com on May 18, 2016 and featured in The CSE Quarterly.

Legalising marijuana for medical use can still be a thorny topic in some countries.

But Supreme Pharmaceuticals Inc. is hoping to lead the way in harnessing its acceptance and benefits in Canada.

Supreme obtained regulatory approval to grow medical marijuana at its site in Kincardine, Ontario, in March.

The company is on track to harvest its first crop in the summer and hopes to get final approval to sell it in September or October.

In the US, four states have legalized the plant for recreational use and 12 others allow its consumption for medical purposes, although that remains a relatively small proportion of the country as a whole.

But in Canada, the medical marijuana business has legalised progressively in the last 15 years.

A key milestone came in 2014 when the government’s Health Canada arm introduced the Marijuana for Medical Purposes Regulations.

The government also said last month it will press ahead in 2017 with plans to legalise marijuana for adult recreational use.

That market is expected to be worth US$5bn a year by 2020 according to leading industry analysts.

Supreme is targeting a domestic medical market, which it expects to be worth about US$100mln by the end of this year and US$1.2bn by 2020.

Supreme’s president and chief executive, John Fowler, said he believed Canada was doing better than some other countries in overcoming concerns about using the plant for clinical purposes.

“I wouldn’t say the stigma has gone but we’re moving in the right direction,” he said.

Fowler began working in the medical marijuana sector more than 10 years ago.

He pursued a legal career to help medical marijuana patients with legal challenges relating to access, jobs and tenancies, working on major cases.

He now sees his mission as being not only to provide Canadians with access to high-quality, low-cost medical marijuana, but to work with physicians to improve their awareness and support for it.

“The hope is that the doctor will be more educated and more willing to subscribe to the company’s products,” he said.

Bottom line

Supreme and its wholly owned subsidiary, AMMCan, have set up a federally-licensed, seven-acre greenhouse in Kincardine on the shores of Lake Huron.  When fully operational, the company expects to be able to produce in excess of 50,000 KG per year.

Supreme has obtained exclusive rights to work with international seed supplier Dinafem.  The arrangement will provide Supreme with access to over 100 unique cannabis strains to put into production in the Kincardine greenhouse.

“Choosing the right genetics is one of the most important aspects of producing high quality cannabis for both medical and recreational markets,” Fowler said.

“It was important we seek out a partner like Dinafem to ensure we grow only the best genetics in our greenhouse which will maximize output, increase quality and have a direct impact on our bottom line.”

Supreme has raised more than US$10mln, three quarters of which it has spent on fitting out the greenhouse and the rest of which it still has in the bank.

It expects those reserves to sustain it until it starts earning revenue from marijuana sales later this year.

Supreme is among about 25 companies holding 31 licences to produce medical marijuana.

The current market of about 45,000 patients is increasing at a rate of about 5,000 per month and is on track to more than double in this calendar year.

Supreme’s primary aim was to supply the consumer market direct by mail order.

But it is exploring the possibility of becoming more of a business-to-business supplier of licensed marijuana to other companies that would retail it.

Fowler said: “The benefits of that are long-term, stable revenue based on supply agreements, rather than volatile revenues from retail.”

Supreme has had to take extensive security precautions at Kincardine to prevent theft, such as high fencing and cameras, and the end product is stored in a vault.

“We like to joke that our marijuana in the vault will be more secure than our money in the bank,” Fowler said.

Fowler also acknowledges the general risk of abuse of the product. However it is worth pointing out marijuana consumption is seen to be less dangerous than tobacco or alcohol with few reported side effects, he said.

Strict regulation compels the company to ensure its products are not contaminated by pesticides or other substances that may be in marijuana bought from street dealers.

Supreme has international ambitions and is eyeing opportunities in countries such as Australia, Germany and Austria.

Canberra recently legalized marijuana for medical use and Berlin and Vienna are considering doing the same.

The company believes it will be able to generate US$200mln in annual domestic revenues within the next decade.  This keeps the company’s focus on executing on its domestic business as a top priority.

Fowler said: “It’s very important to me as the chief executive that we don’t allow the prospect of new markets to in any way negatively affect our primary market, which is right here in Canada.”

Learn more about Supreme Pharmaceuticals Inc at http://www.supreme.ca/ and on the CSE website at http://thecse.com/en/listings/life-sciences/supreme-pharmaceuticals-inc

CSE Enjoys Record Year in 2014, International Outreach and Trading Initiatives Help Shape Agenda for New Year

The Canadian Securities Exchange (“CSE”) is pleased to announce record results in all key performance categories for the year ended December 31, 2014, reflecting success in achieving the exchange’s goal of reducing the cost of capital for Canadian public companies. For 2015, the CSE expects growth to remain strong as it maintains existing activities and introduces several new initiatives to further strengthen competitiveness.

CSE Enjoys Record Year in 2014 – Key Stats

  • The CSE finished 2014 with a total of 244 listed companies, a 35% increase compared to the previous year;
  • CSE companies conducted 211 financings, raising a total of $155 million, or $76 million more than in 2013;
  • Aggregate trading volume for the year was 2.3 billion shares, up 165%;
  • Aggregate trading value was $498 million, up 315%.

Companies from a wide range of business sectors sought listing status on the CSE in 2014, including pharmaceutical, health care, technology, mining, clean tech, oil and gas and financial services. Approximately half of new listings came in the form of public companies transitioning to the CSE from other exchanges.

The CSE enters 2015 with a strong applications pipeline and a fresh set of objectives to further enhance trading and market access.

Over 100 companies raised capital on the CSE during the year, averaging $1.4 million per issuer. Premier Diagnostic Health Services Inc. (CSE:PDH), Tier One Capital Limited Partnership (CSE:TLP.UN), Pivotal Therapeutics Inc. (CSE:PVO) and Helius Medical Technologies Inc. (CSE:HSM) each raised more than $7 million. Novo Resources Corp. (CSE:NVO) and Supreme Pharmaceuticals Inc. (CSE:SL) were among others that completed significant financings. Supreme was also an exchange volume leader in 2014, alongside other companies in the medical marijuana sector such as Abattis Bioceuticals Corp. (CSE:ATT) and Affinor Growers Inc. (CSE:AFI).

“Technology was a standout on the financing front, with issuers in the sector accounting for around half of all capital raised on the CSE in 2014,” said CSE Chief Executive Officer Richard Carleton. “But fundraising challenges remain and this makes our operating model attractive for companies at the early to mid stages of development. With no immediate relief on the horizon, our low-cost, highly efficient listing model will remain an important incentive for fast growing companies to work with us.”

The CSE enters 2015 with a strong applications pipeline and a fresh set of objectives to further enhance trading and market access. These include a new market making program designed to enhance issuer liquidity; new order routing, compliance and risk management tools to assist dealers; and more resources for the exchange’s marketing team to support existing issuers and attract new ones.

Plans also call for a broader foreign markets strategy, particularly in light of the benefits many issuers realized after the CSE became a designated exchange with the leading operator of over-the-counter markets in the United States early in 2014. Tighter bid/offer spreads and greater trading liquidity resulted for many companies as US investors gained access to CSE stocks through domestic broker platforms newly able to provide quotes denominated in US dollars. The CSE will explore this model with exchanges in the European Union and United Kingdom in the current year.

“We put a lot of effort into raising our profile with key segments of the public finance community in Canada and internationally in 2014,” said Carleton. “Our goal is to build on those achievements throughout the current year, ensuring easier market access to enhance liquidity, reaching out to institutional investors to explain the merits of the CSE and show them examples of highly successful companies on our exchange, and continuing to address the micro and macro needs of our growing issuer base.”

The CSE Quarterly – Issue 2 is now live!

The CSE is proud to present the second issue of its quarterly publication – the CSE Quarterly – Issue 2 is now live! The publication profiles some of the CSE’s most dynamic listed companies on the exchange, including the following listings:

Big Rock Labs Inc. (BLA)
Helius Medical Technologies Inc. (HSM)
Cielo Waste Solutions Corp. (CMC)
Newnote Financial Corp. (NEU)
Axios Mobile Assets Corp. (AXA)
Supreme Pharmaceuticals Inc. (SL)
Chlormet Technologies Inc. (PUF)

Click below to access the full issue:

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