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Naturally Splendid Builds Impressive HempOmega Team for Global Push

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Naturally Splendid Builds Impressive HempOmega Team for Global Push

Naturally Splendid Enterprises made not one but two major appointments to its Corporate Advisory Board to assist the Company with development and marketing strategies for penetrating the $35B global omega market.

The first of these is Former Maple Leaf Foods President, Mr. Ted McKechnie – whose primary focus will be to assist management in the marketing and sales of the Company’s plant based line of omega products licensed under the recent agreement with Full Spectrum Laboratories (FSL). Mr. McKechnie will utilize his extensive network and relationships in the food and beverage industry to generate sales opportunities as they specifically relate to the omega industry.

Additionally, Mr. McKechnie will lend his expertise in the area of wholesale and retail product development, marketing and distribution.
Mr. McKechnie is a senior executive with extensive Board and Senior Management Experience in the consumer goods and service industries. Ted has a proven track record for achieving corporate financial and growth objectives. In addition to his role as President of Maple Leaf Foods, he has held senior positions with Kraft, General Foods, PepsiCo, Frito Lay, Canada’s Technology For Food, The Davies Group of Companies, Ethnic Food Group International, Inc., Humpty Dumpty Foods and Menu At Home.Com. Mr. McKechnie was presented with the Philip Morris Chairman’s Award for “recognition of extraordinary contributions having a significant and lasting impact on the Corporation”.

Naturally Splendid CEO Craig Goodwin states, “Ted brings a world class sales and marketing background to Naturally Splendid. Initially, Ted will provide his expertise in developing our full line of omega products. We look forward to working closely with Ted, and networking with his key industry relationships throughout the food and beverage industry, opening new doors for HempOmega(TM).”

The second appointment to the Corporate Advisory Board is Clearly Canadian beverage founder, Mr. Douglas Mason. Mason’s primary focus will be to assist management with marketing and sales strategies for the Company’s full range of products licensed under the recent agreement with Full Spectrum Laboratories.

Mr. Mason serves as a senior officer and director of a number of public companies. He also has extensive experience in financing and acquisitions in capital markets, raising over $200 million over the past 25 years. He is currently Chairman of the Board and CEO of Waterfront Capital Corporation.

From 1998 through 2005, Mr. Mason served as President, Chief Financial Officer and Director of Clearly Canadian Beverage Corporation, a producer of premium beverage products. During his 20 years in the beverage industry, Douglas built a reputation for innovation and has been credited as being one of the pioneers of the New Age Beverage category.

CEO Craig Goodwin says, “Initially, Douglas will provide his expertise in developing strategies to develop functional beverages incorporating products derived from the recently acquired technology license from Full Spectrum Labs. Beverages are the largest US functional product sector. Globally, the functional beverage market is valued at $68 billion. Our plans, with an experienced team now in place, is to penetrate these markets.”

When is an Apple not an Apple?

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When is an Apple not an Apple?

A company called Okanagan Specialty Fruits (recently acquired by US Bio-technology firm, Intrexon) has just received Canadian and US approval for its genetically modified (GM) “non-browning” apple – it does not brown when you slice it, for 15 days or more.

The company says the GM apples “have more eye appeal: no yucky browning” – but, according to the Canadian Biotechnology Action Network, (CBAN), sixty-nine per cent of Canadians don’t want it approved. Many groups representing fruit growers in Canada are also opposed. Consumer rejection and possible contamination from GM apples threatens the future of our apples, and the farmers who grow them. The apple will hit the market with two different varieties : Arctic granny and Arctic golden.

Lots of people who don’t object to the apple itself, still believe strongly that the product should be labeled GM so consumers can make an informed choice.
Fred Steele, president of the BC Fruit Growers’ Association told the Penticton Western News, “I’m not arguing the science. But if (Health Canada) decided there’s no problem with it, then there should be no problem labelling it,” he said. “Let’s let the people decide. If it’s fine — fine. If it’s not, (consumers) will let them know.”

While scientific studies have not been able to identify any health risks, many pundits have said things like “how could a food that never goes bad possibly be good for you?”

22 pharmacies across BC selected for first-ever genomics project

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22 pharmacies across BC selected for first-ever genomics project

Twenty-two pharmacies in rural and urban locations across British Columbia have been selected to participate in a research project that aims to help bring personalized medicine to patients through community pharmacists.

The “Genomics for Precision Drug Therapy in the Community Pharmacy” project is the first of its kind in North America. It is funded by the BC Pharmacy Association (BCPhA) and Genome BC, with research done by a team at the University of British Columbia’s Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences.

The research project focuses on using community pharmacists to collect saliva samples to test how an individual’s DNA can impact medication selection and dosage. The project will develop standard operating procedures for the collection of patient saliva samples by community pharmacists as well as procedures for the processing and sequencing of the DNA in these samples by UBC researchers.

Across the province, the 22 pharmacies will recruit 200 volunteer patients, who are currently taking the anticoagulation drug warfarin, to be part of the study. Researchers will do a retrospective analysis of DNA information to learn how genetics would have altered the drug dosage patients were prescribed.

Pharmacy locations include Burnaby, Courtenay, Cranbrook, Enderby, Fort St John, Hope, Houston, Kamloops, Kelowna, Penticton, Port Coquitlam, Port McNeill, Prince George, Surrey, Vancouver, Victoria and Williams Lake.

“Pharmacists, who are experts in medication, are the health-care practitioners best positioned to collect and use patient genetic information to help make medication selection and dosing decisions,” said Geraldine Vance, CEO of the BC Pharmacy Association.

“Over time, the aim is to use DNA to make decisions about the most commonly-prescribed medications, making personalized medicine accessible for all patients in the province.”

There are more than 1,200 community pharmacies across the province, meaning any British Columbian could ultimately have access to this testing regardless of where they live.

“With the modern genome technology used in this project, the idea of personalized medicine can become a reality,” said UBC lead researcher Dr. Corey Nislow.

“We know there are more than 150 medications that are impacted by an individual’s DNA. This project is about using that genetic information to make decisions about which medications are right for a patient – the right drug, in the right dosage at the right time.”

Petitioning Processed Food

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Petitioning Processed Food

There’s no denying that Kraft Dinner is a tasty product. It has been declared Canada’s official favourite food by any number of pundits and authorities.

But if the logo of The World Health Organization or the Dietitians of Canada suddenly turned up on the box, with an endorsement suggesting that Kraft Dinner is a healthy dietary choice for children, that would almost certainly give rise to a major controversy.

A very similar scenario has been playing out in the US, with “Kids Eat Right – ” a nutrition education campaign created by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, the world’s largest trade group for nutrition professionals. It began with a product label on Kraft Singles, declaring them to be a proud supporter of the Kids Eat Right campaign.

While it’s true that the Kids Eat Right campaign isn’t technically doing the endorsing, the implied relationship is one of mutual support, and many shoppers would not make the distinction. The fact is, the nutritionists appear to be endorsing Kraft Singles. And that doesn’t sit well with all parties concerned. In fact, many members of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics were appalled enough to launch a campaign on the social protest site, Change.org asking the group’s leaders to #RepealtheSeal.

While “selling” their endorsements is hardly a rare or novel practice for experts in any field, there has been some scuttlebutt brewing on The Associated Press and other places – pointing out how bloggers are routinely paid to mention certain products on their sites and doctors and nutrition experts often go onto manufacturer’s payrolls to endorse products at public events and in the media.

A Licence to Protest

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A Licence to Protest

On the March 13 episode of CBC’s Marketplace, called “A Licence to Deceive,” the show’s staff created an imaginary product for the treatment of fever, pain and inflammation in children. They called it Nighton – an anagram for “nothing.” And they got the homeopathic recipe for it from a very old homeopathic encyclopedia – photocopying the three pages of product claims and ingredients directly out of the book. Then they created some fake but effective packaging and submitted it all in a licencing application to Health Canada.

To the Canadian health regulator’s embarrassment, the application was approved and the bogus product got marched out on national television. Dr. Matthew Stanbrook, deputy editor of the Canadian Medical Association Journal provided the observation that the Nighton approval “really makes a joke of the regulatory process.”

In the next segment of the program, a mosquito repellent called Mozi-Q was tested in the lab and proved to be totally ineffective. That product had been funded during a recent episode of Dragon’s Den – when the dragons were convinced of the products efficacy simply by the fact that it had received Health Canada approval. After it failed the test, all funding was withdrawn.

Likewise, a panel of parents who told Marketplace that they would have purchased Nighton – largely based on the Health Canada approval – expressed their disillusionment and loss of faith in the approval system.

Manufacturers and retailers of naturopathic products should all be very concerned about Health Canada’s loss of credibility during this episode. No matter how good the product you have spent years and millions of dollars developing, no matter how unimpeachable the lines of medicines and supplements you sell in your store, this kind of publicity undermines consumer faith in all products submitted for Health Canada approval.

Maybe it’s time for everyone in the industry to raise their voices as one and demand tougher licencing regulations.

McKesson Acquires Remedy’sRx: Appoints Richard Brennan to Guide Their Growth into Retail

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McKesson Acquires Remedy'sRx: Appoints Richard Brennan to Guide Their Growth into Retail

McKesson Canada president, Alain Champagne, says they’re often described as “the largest company you’ve never heard of.” Whereas not long ago (2011), they were merely Canada’s largest drug distributor, McKesson is now invested in retail, supporting their own banner programs with close to 1,500 pharmacies across the country.
On February 26th, McKesson completed the acquisition of Remedy’sRx – the fastest-growing independent pharmacy network in Canada, with 272 locations across the country. Spokesperson Andrew Ross at McKesson told us that there are no current plans for changes at Remedy’sRx – the 35 employees at Remedies head office will be integrated into the larger company, as McKesson banks on the expertise of employees both old and new. Their goal, said Ross is simply to “make Remedy’sRx into an even stronger brand.
Entering this new phase of expansion, McKesson Canada has appointed Richard Brennan to the position of Senior Vice President, Retail Banner Management Services. In this role, Brennan will be responsible for leading McKesson Canada’s growing pharmacy banner business that include Guardian, I.D.A., The Medicine Shoppe Canada, Proxim and now, Remedy’sRx. He will report to McKesson Canada’s President, Alain Champagne, and will become a key member of the company’s Canadian Executive Team.
Mr. Brennan joined McKesson Canada fourteen years ago and has played roles of increasing responsibility. Prior to joining McKesson Canada, Brennan spent eighteen years at Shoppers Drug Mart, where he played a number of leadership roles with a clear focus on driving merchandising and operational excellence.
“I am excited to welcome Richard to the Executive Team,” said Champagne.

Have Scripps Research, Mayo Clinic Scientists Found a Cure for Aging??

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“Senolytics” are a new class of drugs that In animal models, dramatically slows the aging process—alleviating symptoms of frailty, improving cardiac function and extending a healthy lifespan.

The research, being done by teams from The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI), Mayo Clinic and other institutions appeared on March 9th in the journal Aging Cell.

Senescent cells are cells that have stopped dividing. They accumulate with age and accelerate the aging process.

Killing off these cells, increases the healthspan in mice, so scientists are hopeful about finding treatments that can have the same effect in humans.
Drug testing show that the cancer drug dasatinib (sold under the trade name Sprycel®) eliminated senescent human fat cell progenitors. Quercetin, a natural compound sold as a supplement that acts as an antihistamine and anti-inflammatory, was more effective against senescent human endothelial cells (a single layer of smooth, thin cells that lines the heart, blood vessels and lymphatics) and mouse bone marrow stem cells. A combination of the two was most effective overall.

In old mice, cardiovascular function was improved within five days of a single dose of the drugs. A single dose of a combination of the drugs led to improved exercise capacity in animals weakened by radiation therapy used for cancer. The effect lasted for at least seven months following treatment with the drugs. Periodic drug administration of mice with accelerated aging extended the healthspan in the animals, delaying age-related symptoms, spine degeneration and osteoporosis.

“We view this study as a big, first step toward developing treatments that can be given safely to patients to extend healthspan or to treat age-related diseases and disorders,” said TSRI Professor Paul Robbins, PhD, who with Associate Professor Laura Niedernhofer, MD, PhD, led the research efforts for the paper at Scripps Florida. “When senolytic agents, like the combination we identified, are used clinically, the results could be transformative.”

The authors caution that more testing is needed before use in humans. They also note both drugs in the study have possible side effects, at least with long-term treatment.

The co-first authors of the study, “Achilles’ Heel of Senescent Cells: From Transcriptome to Senolytic Drugs,” are Yi Zhu and Tamara Tchkonia of the Mayo Clinic.

Stopping the Collagen Breakdown

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A recent Vancouver Province article on anti-aging research in BC included a report on ViDA Therapeutics and their efforts to analyze and control the effects of an immune-system enzyme called granzyme B.

The enzyme’s usual role in the human body is to target and kill infected cells – not a function that you would want to curtail. But it turns out that Granzyme B is equally like to do harm: researchers at Vancouver’s St. Paul’s Hospital discovered significant levels of extracellular granzyme B in aged and damaged human skin. A research team, led by Professor David Granville and postdoctoral fellow Leigh Parkinson, found when skin cells produce and release granzyme B in response to UV light, it triggers the breakdown of collagen, a structural protein that makes skin firm. They also discovered high levels of the enzyme in the occurrence of other ailments such as rheumatoid arthritis, fibrosis and heart disease.

Knowing he was onto something, Granville got together with co-founder Alistair Duncan to launch viDA – a private, venture-backed biopharmaceutical company working on ways to inhibit granzyme B.

Since then, viDA’s research team has developed a library of molecular compounds to inhibit granzyme B.

“Granzyme B is running amok and causing damage from rheumatoid arthritis to heart conditions to neural inflammation,” Duncan told the Province. “If you picture granzyme B as a Pac-Man that goes around gobbling, we stick a sock in its mouth so it can’t gobble anymore, allowing the healing process to begin.”

Many eyebrows were raised when the company’s findings were published in Dec 2014 in Aging Cell Journal. In addition to exploring how granzyme B inhibitors can be used to treat aging skin and lupus related skin lesions, the company is investigating the treatment of other conditions like aneurysms and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, caused by the breakdown of collagen and other proteins that provide structure to blood vessels and lung passages.

Thorne Research Announces NSF Certification

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Thorne Research recently received the prestigious NSF International Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) Registration for its Sandpoint, Idaho manufacturing facility.


Good manufacturing practices (GMPs) are guidelines that assist companies in developing and maintaining proper controls in their manufacturing process so that products are processed, manufactured and labeled in a consistent manner, and meet quality standards.


Earning GMP registration from NSF International verifies that Thorne Research’s facility has the proper methods, equipment, facilities, and controls in place for producing dietary supplement products. It the only accredited American National Standard in the nutritional supplement industry. Thorne Research’s manufacturing in Sandpoint, Idaho is also audited twice annually to verify compliance with Good Manufacturing Practices.


NSF International is a global independent organization, that writes standards, and tests and certifies products for the water, food, health sciences and consumer goods industries to minimize adverse health effects and protect the environment (nsf.org). Founded in 1944, NSF is committed to protecting human health and safety worldwide.


Additionally, Thorne Research has earned NSF Certified for Sport® Certification for its EXOS™ Performance Nutrition Catalyte® Isotonic in Lemon Lime flavor. NSF Certified for Sport® certification ensures the product has been tested and certified against the only accredited American National Standard for nutritional supplements (NSF/ANSI Standard 173). This includes testing and label claim reviews to verify what’s on the label is in the bottle and that there are no harmful levels of specific contaminants in addition to screening the product for more than 200 athletic banned substances.


This NSF program is recognized by the National Football League (NFL), the NFL Players Association, Major League Baseball (MLB), the MLB Players Association, the Professional Golfers’ Association of America, the U.S. Ladies Professional Golf Association, and the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sports.

Parkinson’s Disease Foundation Expands Scientific Leadership

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The Parkinson’s Disease Foundation® (PDF®) has expanded its Scientific Advisory Board to guide the organization toward its goals of solving, treating and ending Parkinson’s disease. The three-year appointments were announced following a meeting of PDF’s Board of Directors on December 18.


“PDF’s rich history and focus on research has led to our involvement in nearly all clinical trials of new Parkinson’s disease medications, beginning with today’s gold-standard – levodopa. But now, it is time for a new generation of treatments. The expansion of the Scientific Advisory Board allows PDF to build upon our traditions, under the guidance of the most creative minds in the field, to more quickly discover the treatments that people with Parkinson’s disease need most,” said James Beck, Ph.D., Vice President, Scientific Affairs at PDF.


The newest advisors join a 23-person advisory board led by Stanley Fahn, M.D., PDF’s Scientific Director and Emeritus Chief of Movement Disorders at the PDF Research Center at Columbia University Medical Center. Members are chosen for their leadership in the science and care of Parkinson’s disease as well as their dedication to PDF’s mission of improving the lives and futures of people touched by Parkinson’s disease. They are charged with providing strategic direction to PDF’s research programs, including the organization’s $5 million in annual grant funding to research centers, individual investigators and future leaders in the field.


Un Jung Kang, M.D., has been elected as a member of the Scientific Advisory Board. Dr. Kang is the H. Houston Merritt Professor of Neurology and Chief of Movement Disorders at the PDF Research Center at Columbia University Medical Center. A movement disorder specialist trained through the PDF-funded fellowship program, Dr. Kang balances a clinical practice with research focused on understanding the mechanisms underlying neuron degeneration in Parkinson’s disease (with the goal of stopping the disease) and neuronal plasticity resulting from dopamine therapies such as levodopa (with the goal of improving the therapeutic effects) for people living with Parkinson’s disease.



Matthew J. LaVoie, Ph.D., has been elected as a member of the Scientific Advisory Board. Dr. LaVoie is Associate Professor in the Brigham and Women’s Hospital Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases and Harvard Medical School. As a basic scientist, Dr. LaVoie’s research is focused on understanding the earliest events underlying the pathophysiology of Parkinson’s disease through two means: by studying specific inherited gene mutations, such as those on the Parkin and LRRK2 genes that lead to familial Parkinson’s disease; and by studying idiopathic Parkinson’s disease, with a focus on models of mitochondrial dysfunction.

Margaret E. Rice, Ph.D., has been elected as a member of the Scientific Advisory Board. Dr. Rice is a Professor in the Department of Neurosurgery and the Department of Neuroscience and Physiology at the NYU School of Medicine, and is a member of the Parkinson’s and Movement Disorders Center at NYU Langone Medical Center. As a basic scientist, Dr. Rice investigates the underlying causes of Parkinson’s disease, with a focus on the neurochemistry and neurophysiology of the nigrostriatal dopamine pathway.

Kathleen M. Shannon, M.D., already a member of the Scientific Advisory Board, has been appointed as the new Chair of PDF’s Medical Policy Committee, a committee of the Board. Dr. Shannon is Professor of Neurological Sciences at Rush Medical College and a clinician at the PDF Research Center at Rush University Medical Center. As a movement disorder specialist also trained through the PDF-funded fellowship program, Dr. Shannon balances her clinical practice with research into the under-recognized non-motor symptoms of Parkinson’s disease and neuroprotective therapies to help to reverse or stop the progression of Parkinson’s disease.

Dr. Shannon assumes this role from Christopher G. Goetz, M.D., the United Parkinson Foundation Professor of Neurology in the Departments of Neurological Sciences and Pharmacology and Head, Section of the Movement Disorders at Rush University Medical Center.

For a complete list of members of the PDF Scientific Advisory Board, visit www.pdf.org/sac

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