Persistance and patience about to pay. All said and done a year's worth of good work.
Plandai Biotechnology, Inc. Provides Year-End Shareholder UpdateFont size: A | A | A
9:00 AM ET 12/31/14 | Marketwired
PlandaÃ? Biotechnology, Inc. (OTCQB: PLPL), a developer of highly bioavailable plant extracts for industries including health, wellness, nutriceutical, and pharmaceutical, today provided an update to shareholders that reviews the company's accomplishments over the preceding twelve months.
Roger Duffield, Chief Executive Officer of PlandaÃ?, stated, "The past twelve months have seen PlandaÃ? achieve several key milestones. After recently completing the Senteeko production facility and processing the first batches of PhytofareÂ?, we felt shareholders would appreciate an overview of our achievements in 2014."
First, in late 2013, PlandaÃ? entered into the cannabis research arena, but it was this year that the Company solidified its position in the industry by securing a licensing agreement with Diego Pellicer and then obtaining a consent letter from the Minster of Health in Uruguay to commence growing cannabis and producing an extract for animal testing. This consent allows PlandaÃ? to legally conduct the research necessary to ascertain the medicinal benefits of the complete cannabinoid profile containing the non-psychoactive THC-A, THC-B and CBD acids.
Mr. Duffield said of PlandaÃ?'s move into the cannabis research arena, "We believe that our proprietary processing system will allow us to extract various chemicals in cannabis in their natural, non-psychoactive forms, which could prove hugely beneficial to pharmaceutical research. Our plan at this point is to establish the cannabis growing infrastructure in Uruguay which will allow us to better control the chemical profile and then conduct our research to determine the possible efficacy of cannabis in treating various medical conditions."
Second, following years of supporting research and projections of improved bioavailability, in September 2014 PlandaÃ? released the long-awaited clinical data showing that its Phytofare(TM) Catechin Complex demonstrated ten times greater bioavailability over a generic catechin extract. This human study, which involved 26 test subjects who underwent multiple blood draws over a 24-hour period, showed that all eight active catechins from the green tea plant made it into the bloodstream and remained there for 24 hours, compared to the generic tea extract where only two catechins were found in the blood and remained there only six hours.
Commenting on the study Mr. Duffield said, "Previous studies involving lycopene, phytoene and phytofluene had been conducted and published by Dr. Betty Ishida, a research biologist with the USDA, which showed increased bioavailability from our proprietary extraction method; however, this new catechin study represented scientific validation in human subjects and quantified that increase in a tangible, measurable way."
Third, PlandaÃ? completed the commissioning of its Senteeko extraction facility in South Africa. This project encompassed over two years and $13 million. Mr. Duffield said, "We now have the potential to process up to ten tons of live-plant material every day, yielding approximately four tons of finished PhytofareÂ? every month. Our productions should then double once additional tea comes online in late 2015. The factory has commenced producing PhyofareÂ? green tea Catechin Complex and we are now having the final chemical profile validated by an independent laboratory before commencing shipment of samples to potential customers."
Finally, in 2014 PlandaÃ? moved forward with its goals of securing its intellectual property base, and was granted two trademarks in South Africa for its tradename "Phytofare" and has three pending trademark applications in the United States.
Mr. Duffield concluded, "We also met several other smaller milestones including the completion of a topical anti-aging study in humans which showed favourable results and we started cultivating several new plants in our nursery for future research. We had some major renovations completed on the Senteeko property including significant renovations to the roads and bridges in addition to repairing the dam wall which had been damaged prior to our taking over the property."
