6 months after obtaining ANSM approval and raising €2.5 million, the biotech is launching its R&D program in the cultivation of medical cannabis. Overseed becomes the 1time French company to cultivate this plant for medical purposes in France.
By the end of the year, the biotech aims to select 5 plants on which the first pharmaceutical trials will be initiated.
Research Runs
Authorized to conduct research on cannabis for therapeutic purposes for the first time in France, Overseed started the first agronomic phase of phenotyping these plants 2 months ago.
This process aims to select plants with precise agronomic criteria and phytochemical profiles, which will guarantee the stability of production and the reliability of cannabis varieties. In a second step, the production of these varieties will be tested in a controlled climate, to ensure the stability and homogeneity of the plants.
These seedlings materialize a first R&D program in France, the culmination of which is scheduled for 2023, the date on which the generalization of therapeutic cannabis in France should take place.
Production runs
By the end of 2022, the teams ofOverseed plan to select 5 varieties of plants that meet the requirements to start the “pharmaceutical run” phase.
The process of extracting the active ingredients from the cannabis plant will then make it possible to develop new drugs that meet the specifications of the ANSM. Overseed will develop its extracts with Stanipharm CDMO, an expert in the production of active ingredients, in particular by supercritical CO2 extraction.
“We are very excited to begin this complex agronomic and scientific process that is critical to future drug development. In the coming months, our experts in genetics and cultivation techniques will be fully invested in providing medical research and our partners with all the potential of this plant.” said Hugues Péribère, founder and CEO ofOverseed, in a statement.
“It is also a further step for the French pharmaceutical industry, its sovereignty and its ability to respond to the many medical uses of cannabis. Through our project, we combine the best French expertise to create an innovative and efficient value chain in the territory. The next few months will be devoted to the search for operating laboratory partners and distributors”.
