PharmaDrug Inc. (CSE: PHRX) (OTCQB: LMLLF) (“PharmaDrug” or the “Company“), announced today that, further to its press release dated September 6, 2023, Mr. Daniel Cohen will not be standing for re-election as a director of the Company at the upcoming annual and special meeting of the Company’s shareholders to be held on October 13, 2023 at 10:00 a.m. (Toronto time) and he will instead be replaced by Mr. Robert J. Steen, who replaced Mr. Cohen as a director on September 6, 2023. The size of the board will remain at five directors.
Information regarding the other director nominees can be found in the Company’s Management Information Circular dated August 29, 2023 (the “Circular“) which is available on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca and the Company’s website. The information required by applicable securities laws to be provided with respect to director nominees in respect of Mr. Steen is set forth below.
Mr. Steen is a resident of Ontario, Canada who has had a long career of successful entrepreneurship. He has helped found and develop several businesses in several sectors including real estate acquisition and property management as well as financial tax products and consultancy. Most recently, Robert founded Trafalgar Addiction Treatment Centres in 2012 and helped develop the business until it was sold to a conglomerate in 2022. Since the sale of this business Robert has been a private investor. Robert has an M.B.A. from the Schulich School of Business. Mr. Steen does not serve as a director of any other reporting issuer and does not beneficially own or control any shares of the Company. Finally, in accordance with applicable securities laws we confirm that neither Mr. Steen nor any personal holding company of Mr. Steen:
(a) is, as at date hereof, or has been, within the 10 years before the date hereof, a director, chief executive officer or chief financial officer of any company (including the Company) that:
(i) was subject to an order that was issued while the proposed director was acting in the capacity as a director, chief executive officer or chief financial officer of the company; or
(ii) was subject to an order that was issued after the proposed director ceased to be a director, chief executive officer or chief financial officer and which resulted from an event that occurred while that person was acting in the capacity as a director, chief executive officer or chief financial officer of the company; or
(b) is, as at the date hereof, or has been, within the 10 years before the date hereof, a director or executive officer of any company (including the Company) that, while that person was acting in that capacity, or within a year of that person ceasing to act in that capacity, became bankrupt, made a proposal under any legislation relating to bankruptcy or insolvency, or was subject to or instituted any proceedings, arrangement or compromise with creditors, or had a receiver, receiver manager or trustee appointed to hold its assets;
(c) has, within the 10 years before the date hereof, become bankrupt, made a proposal under any legislation relating to bankruptcy or insolvency, or become subject to or instituted any proceedings, arrangement or compromise with creditors, or had a receiver, receiver manager or trustee appointed to hold the assets of the proposed director;
(d) has been subject to any penalties or sanctions imposed by a court relating to securities legislation or by a securities regulatory authority or has entered into a settlement agreement with a securities regulatory authority since December 31, 2000, or before December 31, 2000 if the disclosure of which would likely be important to a reasonable securityholder in deciding whether to vote for a proposed director, or
(e) has been subject to any other penalties or sanctions imposed by a court or regulatory body that would likely be considered important to a reasonable securityholder in deciding whether to vote for a proposed director.
For the purposes of the foregoing an “order” means a cease trade order, an order similar to a cease trade order, or an order that denied the relevant company access to any exemption under securities legislation, in each case that was in effect for a period of more than 30 consecutive days; and for purposes of item (a)(i) above, specifically includes a management cease trade order which applies to directors or executive officers of a relevant company that was in effect for a period of more than 30 consecutive days whether or not the proposed director was named in the order.
Management of the Company recommends that the shareholders vote FOR the approval of Mr. Steen as a director of the Company at the Meeting. Management intends to rely on its discretionary authority granted in proxies currently being solicited in conjunction with the Circular, to vote in favour of the election of Mr. Steen in place of Mr. Cohen.
Except as described above, the Circular remains unchanged from the version that was mailed to the shareholders of the Company and filed on SEDAR+.
PharmaDrug is a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on the research, development and commercialization of controlled-substances and natural medicines such as psychedelics and previously approved drugs. PharmaDrug owns 51% of Sairiyo Therapeutics (“Sairiyo”), a biotech company that specializes in researching and reformulating established natural medicines with a goal of bringing them through clinical trials and the associated regulatory approval process in the US and Europe. Sairiyo is currently developing its patented reformulation of cepharanthine, a drug that has shown substantial third party validated potential for the treatment of infectious disease (including Covid-19) and rare cancers. Sairiyo is also conducting R&D in the psychedelics space for the treatment of non-neuropsychiatric conditions.