Optimi Health Completes Expansion Of On-Site Analytical Laboratory

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, May 11, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Optimi Health Corp. (CSE: OPTI) (OTCQX: OPTHF) (FRA: 8BN) ("Optimi" or the "Company"), is pleased to announce that it has completed a planned expansion of the on-site analytical laboratory at its Princeton, British Columbia facility.

The on-site lab is purpose built inside one of Optimi's EU-GMP capable 10,000 square foot, state-of-the-art indoor growing facilities dedicated to the cultivation of safe, high-quality psychedelic and functional mushrooms. Optimi Chief Science Officer, Justin Kirkland, will oversee the Company's analytical operations.

"Our analytical lab will prove a completely consistent dosage on natural psilocybin products that will meet stringent FDA and EU-GMP standards," said Kirkland. "We will measure and ensure integrity, ongoing stability, and accuracy in all of our natural psilocybin and psychedelic formulations and are finalizing our Standard Operating Procedures to meet Health Canada and international standards."

The newly enlarged analytical laboratory will operate as a division of Optimi Labs Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Optimi Health, and is designed both for research into the company's proprietary formulations and extraction methods and to be utilized by clients and partners and approved companies to conduct investigations into molecular discovery with restricted psychedelic compounds.

Optimi CEO Bill Ciprick says that the lab expansion is a critical component of the Company's planned revenue strategy.

"While Optimi's main focus remains the cultivation of a safe, scalable supply of natural EU-GMP psilocybin, we realize that operationalizing a future for psychedelic science in which the largest number of authorized patients have access to these medicines requires a more robust research infrastructure than currently exists, particularly in light of the current levels of interest and demand from so many entities across the space. This laboratory is our contribution to that future," added Ciprick.

Alongside its primary objective of becoming a tier one ingredient supplier of naturally cultivated psilocybin mushrooms and extracts, the Company intends to develop efforts on third parties requiring supplementary facilities and analytical support in drug discovery processes as well as for single and multi-site clinical trials.

In a press release issued by the Company on Monday, May 9, Optimi applauded Health Canada's May 6 Notice to Stakeholders emphasizing the "importance of drug quality and Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP)" regarding "the proposed use of psilocybin mushrooms in clinical trials, or as a drug accessed through the Special Access Program (SAP)."

"We commend Health Canada for making quality assurance and GMP compliance a necessity in all clinical and observational protocols moving forward," said Ciprick. "With our analytical capacity now in place, we look forward to helping industry suppliers validate their product and meet the demand for GMP grade psilocybin."

ABOUT OPTIMI (CSE: OPTI) (OTCQX: OPTHF) (FRA: 8BN)

Optimi Health is a homegrown, Canadian success story producing and supplying natural, EU-GMP grade psilocybin and functional mushrooms that focus on the health and wellness markets. Built with the purpose to produce scalable, natural mushroom formulations for transformational human experiences, the Company's goal is to be the number one trusted, compassionate supplier of safe, natural GMP grade psilocybin across the world. With a vertically integrated approach, Optimi intends to cultivate, extract, process and distribute high quality functional and psychedelic mushroom products at its two facilities comprising a total of 20,000 square feet in Princeton, British Columbia.

To fully investigate the science of mushrooms, the Company has received a research exemption under Health Canada Food and Drug Regulations (FDR) for the use of Psilocybin and Psilocin for scientific purposes via its wholly owned subsidiary Optimi Labs Inc. Optimi has also been granted a dealer's license under Canada's Narcotic Control Regulations governing possession, distribution, sale, laboratory analysis of and research and development of Psilocybin and Psilocin formulations. Optimi is committed to expert cultivation and quality production subject to and in accordance with the terms of all applicable laws and governing regulations to ensure safe, superior Canadian fungi production.

FOR INTERVIEW REQUESTS OR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT: