Vancouver, British Columbia – June 10, 2021 – Willow Biosciences Inc. (“Willow” or the “Company“) (TSX: WLLW; OTCQX: CANSF), a biotechnology company producing ultra-pure, sustainably made compounds, and Cellular Goods PLC (“Cellular Goods“) (LSE: CBX), a U.K. based provider of premium consumer products based on biosynthetically made cannabinoids, are announcing today that the two companies have signed a multi-year supply agreement, whereby Willow will supply Cellular Goods with its proprietary, ultra-pure, biosynthetically produced, cannabigerol (“Willow CBG“) to be used in Cellular Goods’ premium cannabinoid-based skin care products to be launched in autumn of 2021.
The Company’s first shipment of Willow CBG to Cellular Goods is expected to arrive in July of this year.
In April 2021, Willow announced that it has completed a series of studies with its development partner, Signum Biosciences, Inc., that demonstrate the safety and anti-inflammatory, anti-aging, and antimicrobial properties of Willow CBG on human skin. These results, coupled with the sustainable and safe manufacturing nature of Willow’s manufacturing process, make Willow CBG an ideal core ingredient for cosmetics in the evolving regulatory landscape of the United Kingdom.
In May 2021, the European Commission declared that CBG had been added to the European Union cosmetic ingredients database (named “CosIng”), approving the compound as safe for use in personal care and cosmetics products. European manufacturers of personal care and cosmetics products can now use CBG in their products with the approval of a major market regulator for trade in the European Union.
Alexis Abraham, Cellular Goods Chief Executive Officer, said: “Successful products start with the best ingredients and being able to source consistent, highly-pure cannabinoids via cellular agriculture from a trusted provider like Willow is essential to our business. CBG is the most promising cannabinoid for skincare applications and we believe it will become a must have upgrade to people’s daily routines. Cellular Goods will be the first to bring a range to market in the United Kingdom built on our core principles of delivering efficacy-led and research-backed consumer cannabinoid products.”
Trevor Peters, Willow’s President & Chief Executive Officer, said: “We are very excited to announce our first commercial supply agreement for CBG. In just over two years we have gone from proof of concept in the lab to commercial scale up and sales of our first cannabinoid which will be slated for use in a consumer product. Cellular Goods are at the forefront, developing premium consumer cannabinoid products in the United Kingdom and we are thrilled to be supplying them with our ultra-pure, biosynthetically made CBG.”
About Cellular Goods PLC
Cellular Goods is a U.K.-based provider of premium consumer products based on biosynthetic cannabinoids. It was established in August 2018 to develop efficacy-led and research-backed cannabinoid products. The initial focus is on two product verticals: premium skincare and topical athletic recovery products to be launched from this autumn. These will be made available through partnerships with leading online and physical retailers and direct to consumers through the Company’s website, www.cellulargoods.co.
About Willow Biosciences Inc.
Willow is a Canadian biotechnology company that develops and produces high-purity, plant derived ingredients for consumer care, food and beverage, and pharmaceutical products. Willow’s manufacturing process creates a consistent, scalable and sustainable product that benefits industry and consumers. Willow’s team has a proven track record of developing and commercializing bio-based manufacturing processes and products for both the consumer and pharmaceutical industries.
For further information, please email info@willowbio.com; visit our website at www.willowbio.com or contact:
Trevor Peters
President and Chief Executive Officer
T: (403) 669-4848
Troy Talkkari, CFA
Vice President, Corporate Development
T: (403) 618-1117
150, 2250 Boundary Road Burnaby, BC V5M 3Z3
Forward-Looking Statements
This news release may include forward-looking statements including opinions, assumptions, estimates and the Company’s assessment of future plans and operations, and, more particularly, statements concerning: timing of delivery of Willow’s CBG to Cellular Goods; timing of Cellular Goods’ cannabinoid-based skin care products launch; consumer demand for CBG; and the regulatory landscape for CBG in the United Kingdom and the European Union. When used in this news release, the words “will,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intent,” “may,” “project,” “should,” and similar expressions are intended to be among the statements that identify forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements are founded on the basis of expectations and assumptions made by the Company which include, but are not limited to: the success of Willow’s strategic partnerships, including the development of future strategic partnerships; the financial strength of the Company; the ability of the Company to fund its business plan using cash on hand and existing resources; the market for Willow’s products; the ability of the Company to obtain and retain applicable licences; the ability of the Company to obtain suitable manufacturing partners and other strategic relationships; and the successful implementation of Willow’s production strategy, generally. Forward-looking statements are subject to a wide range of risks and uncertainties, and although the Company believes that the expectations represented by such forward-looking statements are reasonable, there can be no assurance that such expectations will be realized. Any number of important factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements including, but not limited to, risks associated with: the cannabinoid industry in general; the success of the Company’s research and development strategies; infringement on intellectual property; failure to benefit from partnerships or successfully integrate acquisitions; actions and initiatives of federal and provincial governments and changes to government policies and the execution and impact of these actions, initiatives and policies; import/export and research restrictions for cannabinoid-based operations; the size of the medical-use and adult-use cannabinoid market; competition from other industry participants; adverse U.S., Canadian and global economic conditions; adverse global events and public-health crises, including the current COVID-19 outbreak; failure to comply with certain regulations; departure of key management personnel or inability to attract and retain talent; and other factors more fully described from time to time in the reports and filings made by the Company with securities regulatory authorities. Please refer to the Company’s Annual Information Form and Management’s Discussion and Analysis for additional risk factors relating to Willow, which can be accessed either on Willow’s website at www.willowbio.com or under the Company’s profile on www.sedar.com.
The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as of the date hereof and the Company does not undertake any obligation to update publicly or to revise any of the included forward-looking statements, except as required by applicable law. The forward-looking statements contained herein are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement.