Optimi Health Signs Psilocybin Supply Agreement With New Zealand-Based Mātai Medical Research Institute

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, April 09, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Optimi Health Corp. (CSE: OPTI) (OTCQX: OPTHF) (FRA: 8BN), a leading Health Canada licensed psychedelics pharmaceutical manufacturer, specializing in controlled substances such as natural psilocybin and MDMA, is proud to announce the signing of an international natural psilocybin supply agreement with New Zealand-Based Mātai Medical Research Institute (Mātai), on behalf of the Tū Wairua Project. This agreement marks Optimi's first supply deal to New Zealand, a significant milestone for the company's global expansion efforts.

Under the terms of the agreement, Optimi will provide Mātai with a quantity of its validated GMP Full Spectrum Natural Psilocybin extract. Further, the agreement includes tracked stability of the extract, ensuring the highest standards of GMP quality and compliance.

This follows Optimi's recent announcement that three validation batches of its Natural Psilocybin extract had successfully undergone full release testing, resulting in the issuance of the Certificate of Analysis (COA).

In November 2023, the Tū Wairua project, a collaborative effort involving a diverse array of individuals, whānau (families), community groups, and institutions, convened at Rangiwaho Marae, a tribal meeting place in the Tairāwhiti region of New Zealand. The project team has since designed a clinical trial protocol and secured ethics and regulatory approval for its inaugural clinical study.     

Scheduled for mid-2024, the trial, titled "Pilot Study of Psilocybin Administration in Healthy Volunteers within a Marae Setting," aims to evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, and safety of administering psychedelic-assisted therapy to Māori patients in a marae setting. The insights gained from this trial will inform potential future controlled trials involving Māori patients with methamphetamine use disorder.

Bill Ciprick, CEO of Optimi Health, expressed his enthusiasm about the agreement, stating, "We are excited to collaborate with Mātai and the Tū Wairua team on this groundbreaking venture. This agreement marks our entry into a new market and underscores the historical and cultural importance of the work being undertaken by our colleagues in New Zealand to honour and respect the indigenous heritage of the Māori people. This project holds special significance for Optimi, and we are honoured to be part of it."