Irwin Naturals has signed a Letter of Intent entering into a partnership with Braxia Scientific – which is developing innovative ketamine and psilocybin treatments for mental health disorders – to launch Clinical Research Services across Irwin’s growing US-based network of clinics.
Irwin will be investing up to USD$2 million over the next 12 months to launch initial clinical research services beginning with at least five clinics in Florida.
The companies have stated that the partnership will bring together Braxia’s expertise track record of leadership in innovative mental health treatments and current comprehensive clinical research capabilities to 12 Irwin Naturals Emergence clinics in a total of five US states.
The partnership aims to create a leading mental health-focused clinical research platform designed to streamline and accelerate the process of in-human clinical development of new therapies, including seamless patient recruitment through to FDA application.
Innovation in mental health
Braxia Scientific is currently undertaking a groundbreaking psilocybin trial – Canada’s first multiple-dose psilocybin study for treatment-resistant depression.
It is also the company behind the telemedicine platform KetaMD. The platform utilises technology to provide access to safe and affordable at-home ketamine treatments for people living with depression and related mental health conditions. Braxia states it seeks to develop ketamine and derivatives and other psychedelic products from its IP development platform.
In November 2022, popular herbal supplements company Irwin Naturals announced that it aimed to be the “coca cola first mover” in psychedelic mental health. The company is currently working to build its Irwin Naturals Emergence clinics – a wholly owned subsidiary of Irwin Naturals – into the world’s largest chain of psychedelic mental health clinics.
CEO of Irwin Naturals, Klee Irwin, commented: “We are extremely pleased to have reached a new milestone in the development of our clinics by establishing a strategic relationship with Dr McIntyre [Braxia CEO] and his research team.
“Having an outstanding reputation for scientific expertise, quality clinical research in depression and other mental health disorders areas that will enable us to further develop our US clinical footprint.”
The partnership will support multiple large and small pharmaceutical sponsors, innovative biotechnology companies, medical device companies, government and non-governmental institutions who seek to carry out the development of new therapies in the area of mental health in the US.
CEO of Braxia Scientific, Dr Roger McIntyre, commented: “We are conducting a number of ongoing clinical trials and are currently receiving requests from various pharmaceutical sponsors to support international programmes to develop novel therapies in mental health.
“We have been developing a plan to reach a broader market in the US and globally. This exciting partnership allows us to expand our expertise in an effective manner by leveraging the existing Irwin infrastructure deployed over a number of states in the US.”
