Psygen Leading Psilocybin Industry

 Psygen Announces use of Psilocybin in Human Trial and Provides Update on IP Portfolio

 

• patent applications filed for manufacturing processes
• patent-pending technology aims to improve yields and ultimately margins

Calgary, Alberta– (Newsfile Corp. - October 6, 2021) - Psygen Industries Ltd. (“ Psygen ” or the “ Company “) provided an update today on use of psilocybin in humans and on its intellectual property portfolio. Psygen is excited to announce that psilocybin recently used in a clinical trial was manufactured by Psygen personnel working with a third-party licensed dealer. The Company is also announcing that Psygen has developed patent-pending technology that is expected to improve yields and margins on revenue, and that the technology is key to scale-up and automation. Psygen's chemistry team garnered valuable experience from manufacturing the GMP batches that were used in clinical trials. This experience informed and accelerated the development of Psygen's patent-pending technology.

Psygen has developed key intellectual property rights focused on optimized manufacturing processes for psilocybin and other tryptamines. In 2021, Psygen filed two provisional patent applications at the United States Patent and Trademark Office (the “ USPTO “), establishing priority dates. Current data on one of the two technologies shows evidence of improved efficiency and economics in the manufacture of psilocybin and other tryptamines. A second patent-pending technology developed by Psygen may provide additional formulation options for psilocybin.

Psygen has also developed key manufacturing and analytical processes that will be applied to manufacture and release of the pharmaceutical quality Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (“ APIs “), both for controlled substances and unscheduled substances that will be offered by Psygen. These processes are expected to be applied at Psygen's facility once construction is completed, and in the case of controlled substances, once Psygen's application for a dealer's license has been issued.

Danny Motyka, CEO of Psygen, said, “Psygen was founded to improve access to psychedelic medicines for therapeutic applications and for research. Our work is focused on scaling production processes for synthetic psychedelic drugs. Any time a process is optimized, that optimization might be patentable. Psygen will create unique, comprehensive methods that render the ultimate process more efficacious. ”

In addition to establishing priority dates for the protection of Psygen's recent innovations by filing provisional patent applications, Psygen has protected its brand through filing applications for registration of trademarks.

This press release is a correction of a press release that was issued earlier today and retracted. The previous press release indicated that Psygen's patent-pending technology had been used to manufacture the psilocybin that was used in the clinical trial.

About Psygen

Psygen intends to be a leading provider of psychedelics for healing and wellness. Psygen will be a manufacturer of pharmaceutical-grade psychedelic drug substances for clinical research and therapeutic applications. Psygen consists of a team of industry and business experts with over 25 years of direct experience in manufacturing psychedelics. Psygen is building Canada's first dedicated psychedelics manufacturing facility for the synthesis of psychedelic drugs for clinical research and approved therapeutic applications. Psygen has worked in partnership with an existing Licensed Dealer to develop manufacturing protocols for psychedelic drug products.

Cautionary Statements Regarding Forward-Looking Information

This press release contains “forward-looking information” within the meaning of applicable securities laws. The use of any of the words “expect”, “anticipate”, “continue”, “estimate”, “objective”, “ongoing”, “may”, “will”, “project”, “should”, “believe” , “Plans”, “intends” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements or information. Forward-looking statements and information in this press release includes, but is not limited to, the anticipated development of the subject matter of the provisional patent applications, the build-out of Psygen's facility, the Company receiving a dealer license from Health Canada and the application of the Company's key manufacturing and analytical processes to its manufacturing. Although the Company believes that the expectations and assumptions on which the forward-looking statements and information are based are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking statements and information because the Company cannot give any assurance that they will prove to be correct. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Actual results and developments may differ materially from those contemplated by these statements depending on, among other things, the timely development of the subject matter of the provisional patent applications, the timing of construction of Psygen's facility, the Company receiving a dealer license from Health Canada . These statements should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results. Such statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those implied by such statements. The Company cautions that the foregoing list of risks and uncertainties is not exhaustive. The forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release are made as of the date hereof and the Company undertakes no obligation to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statement or information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise unless so required by applicable securities laws.

Why You Vom When You're Coming Up On MDMA

There's such a thing as feeling so euphoric you literally throw up.

Pop culture has historically done a bad job when it comes to realistic portrayals of MDMA . At school we were led to believe that a single pinger would cause you to drink so much water that you'd drown your own organs, while mainstream film and TV made it seem like a dangerous hallucinogen , likely to cause a person to completely lose their mind.    

In reality, MDMA just causes us to dance for ages , chat loads of embarrassing shit (“no seriously, listen, I love you so much”) and - often - feel kind of sick. In fact, anecdotally, plenty of people seem to throw up every time they come up on MDMA. Others vom if they take too much, or if the MDMA is particularly strong, or if they combine it with smoking.    

But why exactly is this? Why does MDMA cause some of us to hurl that morning's breakfast in someone's flowerpot at a house party?

Nick Hickmott, the early intervention lead at drugs charity We Are With You , says that there are likely multiple factors behind MDMA making some people throw up. 

“On a basic level, we're introducing an adulterant into our body, which changes the way we feel,” he says. “A bit like when you take paracetamol on an empty stomach, or any kind of medication, chemical or even just drinking. Some of it can be what's contained within the drug and how that's interacting with our gut wall and slowly moving into our bloodstream. ”

General anxiety could also be a factor for some people, Hickmott says. “Particularly for young people, taking drugs can be anxiety provoking,” he says. “Even if you're a seasoned user of MDMA, it can be a nervy feeling which is replicated in the stomach. We're all different and some people might need a bit of reassurance. ”  

But what's so nauseating about MDMA in particular - as opposed to something like cocaine or speed, for instance? While there are no recent studies relating to why MDMA specifically might lead to vomiting (it's admittedly not a super urgent subject) it's worth pointing out here that the drug works by increasing the production of serotonin in our brains. Serotonin also stimulates the part of the brain that controls nausea.   

Studies have shown that increased serotonin production accounts for the gastrointestinal issues and nausea many experience while on SSRI antidepressants. With that in mind, it makes sense that we might be feeling a bit sick with so much serotonin firing around our brains.     

“It's pretty straightforward really,” says Professor David Nutt, a neuropsychopharmacologist and chairman of Drug Science . “MDMA releases serotonin and there's a lot of serotonin in the gut cells. Serotonin is a protective and it makes you vomit. You see it with SSRIs and any serotonergic agent. ” 

“My old supervisor used to say that serotonin is like the oil in a car,” he continues. “It makes everything move smoothly. So serotonin makes the gut work smoothly, it makes the brain work smoothly, it keeps everything on track. But it also has this extra special role, which is that it makes you vomit if you are poisoned. So if you take a lot of MDMA and release a lot of serotonin, it's the same as if you've been given Cisplatin [a chemotherapy drug]. ”   

Interestingly, there are some drugs - such as Ondansetron , which is used by chemo patients - that block the serotonin receptor 5-HT3, meaning that the patient experiences less nausea. Nutt, however, says he's never heard of anyone experimenting with a 5-HT3 blocker to prevent nausea when on MDMA. “It would be very difficult to do because of the illegal status,” he says. And for scientists, “it's not really a compelling scientific question”. 

When it comes to realistic tips for preventing vomiting when on MDMA, there aren't really any - other than taking less MDMA, or taking none at all. Hickmott says making sure you have a full stomach of proper food might help, but even that isn't foolproof.

“We should maybe think about eating well before taking ecstasy because you're going to be dancing around and you need some fuel,” he says, “but also that might cause some stomach upset, depending on what it is that you've eaten . ”

Still, throwing up “isn't necessarily a red flag,” Hickmott adds. “If someone said they had been sick once or twice while coming up, I'd keep an eye on them as a friend or practitioner and check they're okay. But I'd really be looking for signs such as overheating or rapid heart rate or convulsions before I'd be seeking help. ”

Bit of vom though? Not the end of the world. Just make sure you're not in the middle of a dancefloor . Or honestly, anywhere that isn't a toilet.