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AusCann (ASX:AC8) sells cannabis JV company on Chilean govt. restrictions

Health Care
ASX:AC8      MCAP $17.62M
10 November 2020 15:15 (AEST)

AusCann (AC8) has entered an agreement with GrowForChile SpA (GFC) and Telor International to sell its interest in a Chilean joint venture.

The Australian-based pharmaceutical company holds a 50 per cent interest in DayaCann. The 50:50 joint venture company was formed in 2016 between AusCann and Chilean company, Fundación Daya.

DayaCann aimed to become a leading medicinal cannabis group in Latin America. To this date, DayaCann is the only commercial-scale medicinal cannabis cultivation company in Chile that obtained a production licence. The licence allowed it to complete multiple harvests that yielded over 1000 kilograms of dried cannabis flower.

Unfortunately, the Chilean government has restricted the supply of cannabis to patients and hasn’t approved for medicinal cannabis to be exported out of the country.

“The DayaCann joint venture became a non-core activity for AusCann due to the restrictions imposed by the Chilean government on the use and export of medicinal cannabis from Chile,” AusCann CEO Nick Woolf said.

This led AusCann to focus on other high-value cannabinoid-based pharmaceuticals to treat unmet medical needs.

“We thank our joint venture partner, Fundación Daya in Chile, and wish them well for the future. The difficulties posed by the Chilean regulators combined with the move by AusCann away from cultivation made the DayaCann joint venture not viable to continue,” AusCann Non-Executive Chairman Max Johnston said.

For the sale, AusCann will receive an upfront payment of US$200,000 (roughly A$274,974) and further payments that amount to a total of US$1.5 million (roughly A$2.06 million).

The sale agreement allows AusCann to strengthen its capital position and to focus on building value through research and development. Specifically, AusCann’s current focus is on its hard-shell capsules which were launched this year.

Company shares are trading flat for 14 cents at 2:06 pm AEDT.

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