TSX | NYSE: ACB
EDMONTON, Dec. 3, 2018
/PRNewswire/ - Aurora Cannabis Inc. ("Aurora" or the
"Company") (NYSE: ACB) (TSX: ACB) (Frankfurt: 21P; WKN: A1C4WM) announced today
that, further to its October 17, 2018
announcement that it had received a sales license from Health
Canada permitting the sale of cannabis softgel capsules, the
Company has commenced shipments for both the Canadian medical and
adult-use markets. Aurora expects to commence exports to
international markets in early 2019.
At scale, the Company anticipates that softgel production at its
state-of-the-art Aurora Vie facility in Quebec will reach at least 1.4 million
capsules per week. Aurora intends to make this high-volume,
high-margin, smoke-free, product available to all of its domestic
and international target markets over time where legally
possible.
Aurora's softgel capsules are produced to pharmaceutical-grade
standards at Aurora Vie, in collaboration with leading softgel
manufacturer Capcium Inc. ("Capcium"), in which Aurora holds a
19.99% ownership interest. The Company will initially launch the
capsules to the medical cannabis market in Canada as well as the adult-use market in
British Columbia with additional
provincial markets to follow.
The Company is initially launching four softgel product types,
each available in bottles of 30 capsules, priced at $45 per bottle. The small, easy to digest soft
gelatin capsules are colour-coded to distinguish between the
different varieties for the protection of public health and safety.
They are believed to the smallest cannabis capsules on the market.
Aurora's softgels provide a dosage-controlled format that medical
practitioners and consumers around the world need to facilitate
more precise administration.
For the medical market, Aurora is launching three product
types:
Aurora Indica Softgels: 8-10 mg/pill of THC
Aurora Sativa Softgels: 8-10 mg/pill of THC?
Aurora CBD Softgels: 8-10 mg/pill of CBD
For the BC consumer market, one product type will be available
initially:
Aurora Liquid Gels: 8-10 mg/pill of CBD, targeted at the
non-prescription wellness segment of the market
Additional product types and potencies will be made available in
the coming months including softgel capsules that contain 5mg THC,
20mg CBD and 1:1 (5gm CBD and 5mg THC), plus softgels that employ a
range of functional carrier oils.
Management Commentary
"Softgels are a high-volume, high-margin product for both the
medical and adult-use markets that are in strong demand, and Aurora
is one of few companies making these products available to patients
and consumers alike," said Terry
Booth, CEO of Aurora. "There is a strong momentum towards
smoke-free, consistent dosage delivery technologies, and our
softgels are a very familiar form factor that satisfy patient and
consumer needs. We are delighted to have a preferred partnership
with Capcium, whose technology is performing above our initial
expectations, delivering high volumes of pharma-grade
products."
Shane Morris, SVP Product
Development and Regulatory Affairs, added, "Following our
successful receipt of our sales license for softgels, we are now
ready to start providing yet another type of delivery technology
for our patients and customers. Production will be scaling up in
the coming weeks, which will enable us to introduce this product to
all our domestic and international target markets. We will also
continue to develop new types of softgel products, broadening our
offering to meet all medical and consumer needs."
About Aurora
Headquartered in Edmonton, Alberta,
Canada with funded capacity in excess of 500,000 kg per
annum and sales and operations in 21 countries across five
continents, Aurora is one of the world's largest and leading
cannabis companies. Aurora is vertically integrated and
horizontally diversified across every key segment of the value
chain, from facility engineering and design to cannabis breeding
and genetics research, cannabis and hemp production, derivatives,
high value-add product development, home cultivation, wholesale and
retail distribution.
Highly differentiated from its peers, Aurora has established a
uniquely advanced, consistent and efficient production strategy,
based on purpose-built facilities that integrate leading-edge
technologies across all processes, defined by extensive automation
and customization, resulting in the massive scale production of
high- quality product at low cost. Intended to be replicable and
scalable globally, our production facilities are designed to
produce cannabis of significant scale, with high quality,
industry-leading yields, and low per gram production costs. Each of
Aurora's facilities is built to meet EU GMP standards, and its
first production facility, the recently acquired MedReleaf Markham
facility, and its wholly owned European medical cannabis
distributor Aurora Deutschland, have achieved this level of
certification.
In addition to Aurora's rapid organic growth and strong
execution on strategic M&A, which to date includes 15 wholly
owned subsidiary companies – MedReleaf, CanvasRX, Peloton
Pharmaceutical, Aurora Deutschland, H2 Biopharma, Urban Cultivator,
BC Northern Lights, Larssen Greenhouses, CanniMed Therapeutics,
Anandia Labs, HotHouse Consulting, MED Colombia, Agropro, Borela,
and ICC – Aurora is distinguished by its reputation as a partner
and employer of choice in the global cannabis sector, having
invested in and established strategic partnerships with a range of
leading innovators, including: Radient Technologies Inc. (TSXV:
RTI), Hempco Food and Fiber Inc. (TSXV: HEMP), Cann Group Ltd.
(ASX: CAN), Micron Waste Technologies Inc. (CSE: MWM), Choom
Holdings Inc. (CSE: CHOO), Capcium Inc. (private), Evio Beauty
Group (private), Wagner Dimas (private), CTT Pharmaceuticals (OTCC:
CTTH), and Alcanna Inc. (TSX: CLIQ).
Aurora's Common Shares trade on the TSX and NYSE under the
symbol "ACB", and are a constituent of the S&P/TSX Composite
Index.
For more information about Aurora, please visit our investor
website, investor.auroramj.com
Terry Booth,
CEO
Aurora Cannabis Inc.
Caution Concerning Forward-Looking Statements
This news release includes statements containing certain
"forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable
securities law ("forward-looking statements"). Forward-looking
statements are frequently characterized by words such as "plan",
"continue", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate",
"estimate", "may", "will", "potential", "proposed" and other
similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions
"may" or "will" occur and include, but are not limited to the
variety of cannabis products that Aurora will supply to the
adult-use market.. These statements are only predictions. Various
assumptions were used in drawing the conclusions or making the
projections contained in the forward-looking statements throughout
this news release. Forward-looking statements are based on the
opinions and estimates of management at the date the statements are
made, and are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and
other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ
materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements.
The Company is under no obligation, and expressly disclaims any
intention or obligation, to update or revise any forward-looking
statements, whether as a result of new information, future events
or otherwise, except as expressly required by applicable law.
Neither the TSX, NYSE nor their Regulation Services Providers
(as that term is defined in the policies of Toronto Stock Exchange
and New York Stock Exchange) accepts responsibility for the
adequacy or accuracy of this release.
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SOURCE Aurora Cannabis Inc.