Mr. Bill Ciprick reports

OPTIMI HEALTH SIGNS PSILOCYBIN SUPPLY AGREEMENT WITH NEW ZEALAND-BASED MATAI MEDICAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE

Optimi Health Corp. has signed an international natural psilocybin supply agreement with New Zealand-Based Matai Medical Research Institute, on behalf of the Tu 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 Matai with a quantity of its validated GMP (good manufacturing practice) 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 Tu Wairua project, a collaborative effort involving a diverse array of individuals, whanau (families), community groups and institutions, convened at Rangiwaho Marae, a tribal meeting place in the Tairawhiti 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 Maori patients in a marae setting. The insights gained from this trial will inform potential future controlled trials involving Maori patients with methamphetamine use disorder.

Bill Ciprick, chief executive officer of Optimi Health, expressed his enthusiasm about the agreement, stating: "We are excited to collaborate with Matai and the Tu 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 Maori people. This project holds special significance for Optimi, and we are honoured to be part of it."

Dr. Patrick McHugh, community liaison for Matai, confirms that the trial will centre on training local clinicians, rongoa (traditional Maori medicine) specialists and marae community members as kaitieki (guides) in psychedelic-assisted therapy. Additionally, it will involve integrating the associated kawa and tikanga (cultural practices and protocols) into the therapeutic experience, making this the first trial of its kind in Aotearoa.

"We recognize that, alongside many first nations peoples, we have a relationship with native flora and fauna as a source of healing and reconnection to our respective indigenous cultural practices," says Jody Toroa, trustee of Rangiwaho Marae. "Optimi medicines provide the closest natural fungi to the marae's local, indigenous species, which for Rangiwaho Marae and the Tu Wairua collective, is key to the integrity of the project. Synthetic products, by comparison, are not conducive to our reclaiming of cultural knowledge and customary practice," says Ms. Toroa.

In New Zealand, any registered prescriber can apply through the New Zealand Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Authority (Medsafe) for permission to administer an unapproved medicine.

As the only fully equipped Canadian psychedelics pharmaceutical manufacturer, Optimi is well positioned to meet large-scale demand for GMP psilocybin and MDMA drug products through its 10,000-square-foot cultivation and formulation facility.

About Optimi Health Corp.

Optimi Health is a leading Health Canada-licensed psychedelics pharmaceutical manufacturer specializing in controlled substances such as GMP-grade natural psilocybin and MDMA for clinical research purposes and patient access programs, as well as functional mushrooms that focus on the health and wellness markets. Built with the purpose of producing scalable psychedelic formulations for transformational human experiences, the company's goal is to be the No. 1 trusted, compassionate supplier of safe and compliant GMP drug candidates throughout the world. Optimi's products are grown and manufactured at its two facilities comprising a total of 20,000 square feet in Princeton, B.C.

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