Cannabis use is increasingly pervasive among adolescents today, even more common than cigarette smoking. Early exposure of cannabis has been known to cause developmental issues in adolescents because it is during active periods of brain development. With the deadly rise of drug addiction, more and more research is needed in the medicinal field for the potential use of cannabidiol, CBD, to help alleviate the cravings of drug use. APIRx is part of a large and rapidly growing market opportunity in worldwide cannabis application for medicinal usage, which is constantly being re-forecasted, driven by regulatory adoption at state and federal levels (in a number of countries). While certain companies have received cGMP certification for certain manufacturing processes, APIRx is the first company to offer API’s and finished goods based on an end-to-end cGMP process, starting with cGMP-produced Cannabis plant.

Both patients and physicians are increasingly looking to cannabidiol (CBD) as the non-psychoactive antidote to combat chronic pain and dramatically reduce the chance of addiction. Adolescents who begin using marijuana before age 18 are four to seven times more likely than adults to develop a marijuana use disorder.

APIRx was born out of the growing need for cannabinoid-based pharmaceutical solutions for wound healing, dermatological diseases, medication’ related osteonecrosis of the jaws (MRONJ), appetite control and a number of other indications. To date, only synthetically produced cannabinoids have received cGMP certification–but these are quite expensive and artificial. APIRx’s products are cGMP certified, based on 100% natural cannabis plant products–and much more affordable. We believe that the market is headed in the natural cGMP direction from a regulatory compliance and consumer demand perspectives.

For more information and updates about our research with Mt. Sinai School of Medicine and our clinical trial “Tolerability of Canabidiol in Adolescents with Cannabinoid Use Disorders” follow our news posts. 

ABOUT APIRX

APIRx Pharmaceuticals B.V. is a leading pharmaceutical company dedicated to manufacturing of natural cannabinoid API’s (Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients), which are extracted from cannabis plant material and purified to pharma grade. All manufacturing stages are performed under cGMP conditions. APIRx also uses its own API’s for the development of new Rx and OTC drugs, nutraceuticals, cosmeceuticals and other products.

With a contract in place, Mr. Yakatan will assume his duties immediately.

Seth Yakatan brings more than 20 years of experience as a corporate finance professional, actively supporting small cap and major companies in achieving corporate, financing and asset monetization objectives through the successful structuring and management of strategic transactions and investments totaling more than several billion dollars in value.

Over the past sixteen years as a co-founder of Katan Associates (KAI), Seth has successfully structured and managed strategic alliances and deals, based on his insight and expertise in the US and Global Life Science sector, including numerous buy- and sell-side M&A transactions.

Mr. Yakatan and is a Founder of Katan Associates, a consulting firm. He began his career as a Venture Capital Analyst with Ventana Growth Funds and Sureste Venture Management, where he gained significant experience in creating successful venture-backed life science and biotechnology companies. He co-founded Katan Associates in April 2001 and has successfully structured and managed strategic alliances and deals, based on his insight and expertise in the US and Global Life Science sector, including numerous buy- and sell-side M&A transactions.

Prior to Katan Associates in 2001, he worked in merchant banking at the Union Bank of California, N.A., in the Specialized Lending Media and Telecommunications Group from June 1996 to April 2001. During his six years there, he completed the placement of subordinated debt and private equity investments, exceeding $3 billion in transaction value. He served as Consultant of Grant Life Sciences, Inc. since November 1, 2004. 

He is recognized as an expert in the valuation of life sciences companies, stemming from industry experience and academia. He has authored several publications and lectured and guest lectured at corporate workshops and universities on valuation theory and real-world practice and case studies and consulted to several state and provincial governments worldwide on commercialization and capital access initiatives.

Mr. Yakatan holds an MBA in Finance from the University of California, Irvine in the year 1994 to 1996 and a BA in History and Public Affairs from the University of Denver in the year 1988 to 1992.

With a contract in place, Mr. Kim will assume his duties on August 20, 2018.

Mr. Eric Kim is the founder and lead business plan writer for PlanIt Business (“PIB”). PIB is a customized business plan writing company that specializes in business plans written for funding purposes. He has built a team of one of the most highly credentialed, educated and experienced business plan writers out there – including staff from: Ivy League MBAs, former Venture Capitalists, former hedge fund managers, former Wall Street Investment Bankers and former Corporate Executives.

For over 17 years, Eric Kim has been helping both large publicly traded companies as well as private corporations and small businesses with their funding and positioning needs. Eric has a natural skill that has been developed to “strip down” a business to its core strengths and then “build back up” the business value proposition by careful communication of those strengths and opportunities to potential lenders and / or investors.

While at PlanItBusiness, Eric has written business plans to raise in excess of $150 Million dollars. In addition, Eric has significant start-up company experience, having founded three successful businesses and raised investor money for them.

Previously, serving as a Senior Vice President at a Bulge Bracket Investment Bank, Eric wrote business plans, private placement memoranda, public company prospecti, M&A sell-side offering memoranda, investment committee memoranda, management/investor/roadshow presentations, executive summaries, and “teasers” that resulted in over $20 billion of transaction deal value. Clients included private and NASDAQ-and NYSE- listed companies in technology, consumer, retail, real estate, service, financial, industrial and energy sectors. Eric developed financial and valuation models and instructed teams of analysts in financial modeling and valuation.

Prior to investment banking, Eric worked in the Financial Planning and Strategy group of an internet company, where he created financial forecasting models, analyzed budgets, and developed product pricing and customer contract value models. Eric has also worked at Google as a Manager in their Corporate Finance group.

Eric has also spent time in the Private Equity / Venture Capital and consulting worlds, where he worked on numerous investments, screened business plans and investment memos, and wrote investment committee recommendation memos.

Eric earned an Ivy League M.B.A. from The Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania, with a major in Corporate Finance and Private Equity / Venture Capital and B.S. in Business Management from The University of California, Berkeley.