Spectrum Therapeutics Announces Donation to Support Research and Education Initiatives Led by the Canadian Sleep and Circadian Network

SMITHS FALLS, ON and MONTREAL, Sept. 26, 2019 /CNW/ - Spectrum Therapeutics ("Spectrum"), the medical division of Canopy Growth Corporation (TSX: WEED) (NYSE: CGC) is pleased to announce a donation to the Fondation de l'Hôpital du Sacré-Coeur de Montreal (Montreal Sacre Coeur Hospital Foundation) to support the Canadian Sleep and Circadian Network's ("CSCN") associated national campaign: Sleep On It which aims to raise awareness about the importance of good quality sleep on health. 

Spectrum's donation to the campaign has been made, based on CSCN's request to support their initiative to organize the sleep scientific community around the question of cannabis use for sleep disorders. Although an increasing volume of anecdotal data indicates the growing usage of cannabis from individuals coping with sleep disorders, clinical scientific evidence on its effectiveness is still limited. Hence, via this donation, CSCN will be able to provide to the public, health management decision makers as well as the sleep scientific community, a review of currently available data and identify the research gaps that need to be filled. This review is expected to be completed during the second half of the 2020 calendar year.  

By partnering with the leader in the cannabis industry, CSCN's objective is to combine the expertise of clinicians, physicians and researchers across the country to facilitate and scientifically support the development of a white paper based on a comprehensive review of all existing literature and facts about the use of cannabis in sleep disorder management. The report is also expected to be published during the second half of the 2020 calendar year and will introduce an updated clinical research program looking at all areas that impact quality of sleep, including pain, aging, and sleep disorders such as insomnia. Ultimately, the white paper will provide insights and guidance on future research directions and further requirements for evidence on the potential application of medical cannabis in treating sleep disorders.

"Good quality sleep is far more important to our long-term health than most people realize," commented Dr. Mark Ware, Chief Medical Officer, Canopy Growth. "We're just now beginning to explore the role cannabis can play in addressing sleep-related disorders. Patient feedback is very promising so far, and partnerships such as these will advance our understanding of the intriguing phenomenon of sleep that is so essential to our overall well-being." 

"The legalization of cannabis in Canada has brought about a natural interest in the potential for cannabis in the treatment of sleeping disorders. We need to catalyze the development of collective efforts to further develop scientific knowledge platforms to inform policy, therapeutic practice, and prevention efforts about sleep and cannabis and to scientifically inform decision makers as well as general public about the research needs to produce evidence based data on sleep and cannabis," commented Dr Julie Carrier, Scientific director of the Canadian Sleep & Circadian Network and sleep researcher at the CIUSSS du Nord-de-l'Île-de-Montreal.

One in three Canadians don't get the recommended seven hours of sleep each night. The CSCN's mission is to mobilize the healthcare community to adopt an integrated approach towards improving outcomes and treatment of patients with sleep disorders. 

Here's to Future Growth (and better sleep!)  

About Canadian Sleep and Circadian Network
The Canadian Sleep and Circadian Network (CSCN) is national in scope and is committed to scientific excellence in the generation of new knowledge and its translation. We look to better understand sleep disruption and its impact so we can foster healthier sleep and healthier Canadians.

About Spectrum Therapeutics
Spectrum Therapeutics, the medical division of Canopy Growth Corporation (TSX: WEED, NYSE: CGC), is dedicated to educating healthcare practitioners, furthering the public's understanding of medical cannabis and its various applications, and cutting edge, commercializable research and IP development. Founded in Canada, Spectrum Therapeutics operates in Australia, South America, Africa and across Europe. Its products are available in a wide range of potencies and formats designed to simplify the dialogue around strength and dosage by applying a colour-coded spectrum to categorize medical cannabis according to THC and CBD levels. 

Spectrum Therapeutics' offerings include whole flower cannabis, oils and new innovations such as Softgels in addition to single cannabinoid medicine Dronabinol under the brand Bionorica Ethics. Through product simplification, robust clinical research and ongoing education of healthcare professionals, Spectrum Therapeutics is committed to addressing the unmet medical needs of patients around the globe.

About Canopy Growth Corporation
Canopy Growth (TSX:WEED, NYSE:CGC) is a world-leading diversified cannabis, hemp and cannabis device company, offering distinct brands and curated cannabis varieties in dried, oil and Softgel capsule forms, as well as medical devices through the Company's subsidiary, Storz & Bickel GMbH & Co. KG. From product and process innovation to market execution, Canopy Growth is driven by a passion for leadership and a commitment to building a world-class cannabis company one product, site and country at a time. The Company has operations in over a dozen countries across five continents. The Company's medical division, Spectrum Therapeutics is proudly dedicated to educating healthcare practitioners, conducting robust clinical research, and furthering the public's understanding of cannabis, and has devoted millions of dollars toward cutting edge, commercializable research and IP development. Spectrum Therapeutics sells a range of full-spectrum products using its colour-coded classification Spectrum system as well as single cannabinoid Dronabinol under the brand Bionorica Ethics. The Company operates retail stores across Canada under its award-winning Tweed and Tokyo Smoke banners. Tweed is a globally recognized cannabis brand which has built a large and loyal following by focusing on quality products and meaningful customer relationships. From our historic public listing on the Toronto Stock Exchange and New York Stock Exchange to our continued international expansion, pride in advancing shareholder value through leadership is engrained in all we do at Canopy Growth. Canopy Growth has established partnerships with leading sector names including cannabis icons Snoop Dogg and Seth Rogen, breeding legends DNA Genetics and Green House Seeds, and Fortune 500 alcohol leader Constellation Brands, to name but a few. Canopy Growth operates eleven licensed cannabis production sites with over 4.7 million square feet of production capacity, including over one million square feet of GMP certified production space. For more information visit www.canopygrowth.com

Notice Regarding Forward Looking Statements
This news release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Often, but not always, forward-looking statements and information can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "estimates", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved. Forward-looking statements or information involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of Canopy Growth or its subsidiaries to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements or information contained in this news release. Examples of such statements include "aims to raise awareness about the importance of good quality sleep on health", and "development of a white paper based on a comprehensive review of all existing literature and facts" . Risks, uncertainties and other factors involved with forward-looking information could cause actual events, results, performance, prospects and opportunities to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information, including results of the research review and such risks contained in the Company's annual information form dated June 24, 2019 and filed with Canadian securities regulators available on the Company's issuer profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Although the Company believes that the assumptions and factors used in preparing the forward-looking information or forward-looking statements in this news release are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on such information and no assurance can be given that such events will occur in the disclosed time frames or at all. The forward-looking information and forward-looking statements included in this news release are made as of the date of this news release and the Company does not undertake an obligation to publicly update such forward-looking information or forward-looking information to reflect new information, subsequent events or otherwise unless required by applicable securities laws.

SOURCE Spectrum Therapeutics

Strainprint^R Technologies Ltd. Launches the First Medical Cannabis Industry Report Based on the Largest Real-World Observational Patient Study 

Technology Leader Releases Groundbreaking Research Report Providing Unique Insight From Over 800,000 Real-Time Canadian Medical Cannabis Patient Outcomes  

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

TORONTO (Sept. 26, 2019) - Strainprint^R Technologies Ltd. (Strainprint), the leader in cannabis data and analytics, is proud to announce the release of The Canadian Medical Cannabis Experience:  A 2019 Patient Retrospective (the “Report”), the latest Strainprint research publication designed to support the entire cannabis industry with meaningful insights based on the technology leader’s unique and broad-based patient-led data. The Report features thorough analysis of more than 800,000 real-time anonymous patient outcomes reported during the period from January to December 2018.

“We hear time and time again about the need for comprehensive resources like our Patient Retrospective Report,” said Strainprint President, Dave Berg. “Medical cannabis hasn’t had decades of clinical trials to form guidelines on dosing, onset and efficiency and with over 450 chemical constituents in every strain, it is not like studying single molecules in traditional pharma.  So, real-world patient data is invaluable for medical professionals and industry stakeholders looking to make informed choices for their patients and businesses.”

Strainprint aggregates anonymous patient-reported data from its award-winning mobile journaling App and through surveys and validated questionnaires from its online Strainprint Community. Strainprint has been collecting this unique and proprietary data since 2016 and it grows more granular by the day. Today, it is the largest data set of its kind in the world with more than 1.4 million sessions and 70 million data points on strain efficacy. It is the only cannabis consumption data tracked in real time against more than 1,600 lab-verified products by batch.

“Tracking symptomatic improvement against chemical profile (ingredients) by batch is the only way for the industry to advance the scientific understanding of cannabis,” said Michelle Arbus, Strainprint VP of Research. “We are fortunate in Canada to have a federal program with very high lab testing requirements, consistent across the country, giving us the most standardardized products from which to study and the best chance at personalizing cannabis as a medicine.”

The 2019 Patient Retrospective Report is the cutting edge of cannabis research and a major milestone for the cannabis industry. The Report analyzes user variables such as age, gender, region, usage frequency and efficacy by symptom and is the first research set able to identify which terpenes are active in the cannabis products that are reported to have the highest efficacy by symptom. A few key findings from the Report include:

• Muscle pain, anxiety, depression, joint pain and insomnia are the top five symptoms that patients treated with cannabis during the Report period;
• There are clear gender differences for the preferred choice of cannabis administration and the most effective methods of can vary by region, gender and age;
• Multiple cannabis species are reported to offer comparable relief for particular symptoms, supporting the hypothesis that it is more than the species or the THC:CBD content that determines efficacy of a strain;
• Patients overwhelmingly report positive and or neutral emotive effects from their medical cannabis use with very few unfavorable side effects.  As well, the specific terpene profiles present in a strain can greatly impact the side effects; and
• There was no significant change in how or when patients treated their various symptoms after cannabis was legalized recreationally in Canada.

While more study is certainly needed, Strainprint has raised the bar for cannabis industry research with the largest and most granular real-world observational patient study available. Strainprint Reports complement this data with actionable insights and are available for purchase at https://strainprint.ca/strainprint-reports/.

About Strainprint^R

Founded in Toronto in 2016, Strainprint^R Technologies Ltd. is the leading demand-side cannabis data and analytics company. With the world's largest longitudinal, observational data-set of its kind and a mission to advance the scientific understanding of cannabis and its legitimization as a mainstream therapy, Strainprint helps medical cannabis patients and doctors to use cannabis in the most effective and responsible way possible. Strainprint^R data platform supports global cannabis research and provides advanced business intelligence and treatment guidance to producers, retailers, medical practitioners, pharmacies, government and industry. Strainprint is HIPAA, PIPEDA and PHIPA privacy compliant, military-grade encrypted and all patient data is completely anonymized and at rest in Canada. Strainprint can be seamlessly embedded or integrated with most electronic medical records (EMR) and seed2sale software systems.  Strainprint Analytics is accessed by customer subscription. The Strainprint App is free to patients and can be downloaded from both the iOS App Store and Google Play Store. www.strainprint.ca,  facebook, twitter, linkedin.  Strainprint Reports are available for purchase at https://strainprint.ca/strainprint-reports/.

B.C. Pharmacare Non-Medical Switch Policy: The Wrong Decision

Release of Legal/Ethics Review of Switch Policy

TORONTO, Sept. 26, 2019 /CNW/ - British Columbia Pharmacare has announced a non-medical switch policy involving biosimilar drugs. The policy will switch patients using certain biologic drugs (Remicade®) to biosimilar versions within a six month timeframe. This will affect approximately 1,700 British Columbians (including children), though this number does not include those in British Columbia currently under compassionate use funded by the manufacturer who will also be affected.

"Crohn's and Colitis Canada understands the fiscal pressure on B.C. Pharmacare, but their non-medical switch policy is missing critical inputs from the patient and healthcare practitioner communities – and considering that they did not consult patient organizations, this is not surprising. The gap between this policy and patients' needs and concerns in particular is massive," says Mina Mawani, President and CEO of Crohn's and Colitis Canada. "Our position, based on extensive review and consultation, is that a non-medical switch is not in the best interest of patients – this should be a decision made by a physician and patient together. Minister Dix's cavalier statement that "there is reluctance in change" vastly understates patient and caregiver feedback. It is unfortunate that B.C. Pharmacare's policy is not patient-centred and rather focused on questionable savings." 

Crohn's and Colitis Canada questions the B.C. Pharmacare decision when other viable options are available that do not affect patients currently well-managed on biologic treatment. "Cost savings do not have to be on the backs of vulnerable patients," says Ms. Mawani. "Some payers have found a way to both promote the uptake of biosimilars and also access savings from updated pricing of biologic treatment. The precedent has been set: this is patient-centred care – a non-medical switch is not necessary for the purpose of sustainability of healthcare in Canada."

Crohn's and Colitis Canada released their position on biosimilar drugs and in particular on non-medical switch policy together with a cross-Canada survey of healthcare providers, patients and caregivers on September 5, 2019. Released today is a legal/ethics review that assesses challenges in a Canadian legal, bioethical and policy context to further support the Crohn's and Colitis Canada position. World renowned leader in health law, ethics and science policy Dr. Tim Caulfield, an author of the paper says "The move from biologics to biosimilars can create real ethical and legal challenges for healthcare providers. Physicians have a legal and ethical obligation to put the interests of the patient first."

Canada has one of the highest rates of IBD in the world. Today, more than 33,000 British Columbians have Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis and this number is projected to climb significantly. Crohn's and Colitis Canada remains optimistic that a non-medical switch policy in British Columbia can be reconsidered to put patients' needs first. "We are hopeful that our evidence-informed position and the example from other payers will influence policy in British Columbia and remind healthcare decision makers of the importance of patient input," says Ms. Mawani. "Our focus is on the patient – their health and well-being is our priority."

Resources:

• Updated Crohn's and Colitis Canada Biosimilar Position Statement
• Patient and Healthcare Provider Input: Non-Medical Biosimilar Switch Policy for Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease
  • Comprehensive Report
  • Summary and Key Findings
• Manulife Revised Product Listing Agreement
• Sunlife Biosimilar Coverage for Plan Members
• The Law and Ethics of Switching from Biologic to Biosimilar in Canada
  • Abstract and Report

ABOUT CROHN'S AND COLITIS CANADA 
Crohn's and Colitis Canada is the only national, volunteer-based charity focused on finding the cures for Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis and improving the lives of everyone impacted by these diseases. We are the world's second largest health charity funder of Crohn's and colitis research, and our patient programs and advocacy efforts support the people affected by these chronic autoimmune diseases, which cause the body to attack healthy tissue, leading to the inflammation of all or part of the gastrointestinal tract. Visit crohnsandcolitis.ca for more information.

SOURCE Crohn's and Colitis Canada

FACIT's Prospects Oncology Fund invests in Ontario-developed medical device and novel therapeutic platform technologies

Niche early-stage investment program seeds Ontario's developing pipeline of oncology assets

TORONTO, Sept. 26, 2019 /CNW/ - Three promising Ontario-based oncology innovations are recipients of seed capital through the latest round of FACIT's Prospects Oncology Fund. Medical device start-up Xpan Inc., Dr. Igor Stagljar of the University of Toronto, and the Drug Discovery Program at the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research (OICR) were selected to receive seed funding among a top-tier pool of applicants. 

Xpan Inc., whose CEO Zaid Atto also won FACIT's Falcons' Fortunes pitch competition earlier this year, is developing expandable surgical access ports that aim to increase safety and efficiency of minimally invasive surgeries. Dr. Stagljar is developing a unique and disruptive system for detecting protein-protein interactions in real time for drug discovery applications, while OICR's Drug Discovery Program, led by Dr. Rima Al-awar, will receive funds towards the development of a platform targeting multiple members of the WD40 repeat domain (WDR) family with small molecules. The lattermost project builds on OICR and FACIT's recent success in executing a $1B USD strategic transaction with Celgene for a related WDR5 asset. 

FACIT's Prospects Oncology Fund fuels a pipeline of innovations and is imperative to addressing the seed-stage gap experienced by Ontario's life sciences sector. In order to impact the Province's innovation economy, this Ontario First capital helps de-risk innovations through local development, ultimately driving greater value to attract follow-on investment into the province. The Prospects Oncology Fund provides a deal-flow of novel breakthrough discoveries that feed FACIT's Compass Rose Oncology Fund.

Armed with specialization in the oncology market, FACIT has grown its portfolio through these two investment funds, leveraging every dollar invested to attract nearly 20x of additional investment to the Province. Despite typical attrition rates, nearly two-thirds of Compass Rose Fund investee companies have subsequently advanced to secure private financing or successfully exited. This highlights the impact of investing Ontario First capital in the Province's rich talent and innovation pool, bringing economic and patient benefits to Ontario's biotech ecosystem. 

"The FACIT team is pleased to support these entrepreneurial scientists, providing both capital and commercialization expertise, as they advance their technologies closer to impacting patients with cancer," said Dr. David O'Neill, President of FACIT. "With these exciting innovations and partners, we look to continue to achieve significant innovation outcomes, anchoring companies, jobs and talent in Ontario."

About FACIT
FACIT builds companies with entrepreneurs to accelerate oncology innovation and its portfolio has attracted over 750 million dollars in investment to Ontario. Blending industry experience, capital and the unsurpassed clinician-scientist network of its strategic partner the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research (OICR), FACIT capitalizes on the province's investment in research and healthcare to the benefit of the local economy and patients worldwide. FACIT's commercialization portfolio includes Turnstone Biologics, Fusion Pharmaceuticals, Triphase Accelerator and other biotechnology organizations. Cancer Breakthroughs. Realized. facit.ca.

About Xpan Inc.
Xpan Inc., a spin-out from the University of Toronto, has developed a patent-pending trocar that is less invasive yet expandable which promises to reduce risk of complications, cost and operative time associated with the use of these devices in minimally invasive surgeries.

About University of Toronto (U of T)
Founded in 1827, the University of Toronto is Canada's leading institution of learning, discovery and knowledge creation. U of T is one of the world's top research-intensive universities, driven to invent and innovate. It is also one of the top five universities in the world for its startup incubator programs. In the last 10 years, the U of T entrepreneurship community has created over 500 companies and raised over $1 billion in investment capital.

About the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research (OICR)
OICR is a collaborative, not-for-profit research institute funded by the Government of Ontario. We conduct and enable high-impact translational cancer research to accelerate the development of discoveries for patients around the world while maximizing the economic benefit of this research for the people of Ontario. For more information visit www.oicr.on.ca.

SOURCE FACIT Inc.

800 cyclists to participate in Ride for Cancer powered by BMO Bank of Montreal on September 28

HALIFAX, Sept. 26, 2019 /CNW/ -

SOURCE QEII FOUNDATION

Camp Trillium and Camp Oochigeas Announce Merger Agreement

• We are better together and look forward to expanding joint programs across Ontario for children and families affected by childhood cancer.

HAMILTON, ON and TORONTO, Sept. 26, 2019 /CNW/ - The Boards of Directors of Camp Trillium and Camp Oochigeas (Ooch) today announced a merger agreement aimed at furthering their shared goal of reaching every child and family affected by childhood cancer across Ontario. For more than 30 years, Camp Ooch and Camp Trillium have each provided life-changing and enriching camp programs for thousands of children and families affected by childhood cancer. The merger will enable deeper support for families, result in camp programs in more communities, including eight hospitals across Ontario, and bring more children and their families to overnight camps. 

"We are excited to work with our friends at Camp Ooch to expand family-focused childhood cancer programming in Ontario," said Marci Shea-Perry, Executive Director, Camp Trillium. "The challenges we face and needs we address separately are best met by working together." 

The combined organization will deliver first-class programming currently provided independently, under one umbrella. The result will be a stronger organization, a broader donor and supporter base, and a more sustainable financial structure. 

"We look forward to working with Camp Trillium to strengthen support for children and families affected by childhood cancer," said Alex Robertson, Chief Executive Officer, Camp Ooch. "This is about leveraging our combined strengths for the benefit of campers, their families, our collective volunteers and staffs, and the long-time supporters of both our organizations."

Upon completion of the merger, Alex Robertson, Chief Executive Officer of Camp Ooch, will become CEO of the combined province-wide organization. Marci Shea-Perry, Executive Director of Camp Trillium, will step into the new role of Executive Director, Strategy & Integration, supporting Alex by overseeing the merger of the operations.

Camp Trillium and Camp Ooch head offices are located in Hamilton and Toronto, respectively. These offices will remain in place, and staff will remain in existing roles. The combined organization will continue to operate all current programming, including in-hospital programs, community programs at Ooch Downtown and elsewhere in Ontario, and overnight camp at Ooch Muskoka, Camp Trillium-Rainbow Lake, Waterford (Southwestern region), Camp Trillium-OuR Island, Wellington (Eastern region).

About Camp Ooch

Camp Ooch is a privately funded, volunteer-based organization that provides kids with and affected by childhood cancer unique opportunities for growth through challenging, fun, enriching and magical experiences. Camp Ooch offers year-round programs across Ontario and at overnight camp in Muskoka—the only one of its kind in Canada able to provide IV chemotherapy and blood transfusions. 

Our province-wide community and in-hospital programs take place in paediatric care centres including SickKids and McMaster Children's Hospital, Children's Hospital London Health Sciences Centre, Credit Valley Hospital (Trillium Health Partners), Rouge Valley Centenary (Scarborough Health Network) and Southlake Regional Health Centre. We bring the Magic of Ooch to over 1,600 children and their families from across Ontario each year, at no cost to Campers' families.

About Camp Trillium

Camp Trillium (officially The Trillium Childhood Cancer Support Centre) offers year-round recreational programs to bring children with cancer and their families together. We work to provide an environment that normalizes relationships and experiences helping families affected by childhood cancer in their healing process and enhancing their quality of life. Camp Trillium offers year round programs in Southwestern Ontario, at McMaster Children's Hospital and in various communities around the province. 

SOURCE Camp Ooch

FDA Approves Clinical Trial of a New approach to treat millions suffering from Enlarged Prostates

Urotronic, Inc. is maker of innovative Optilume BPH Catheter System

Plymouth, MN ( September 26, 2019 ) - Urotronic, Inc., a medical device company pioneering a new solution that could dramatically change the way millions of men around the world with enlarged prostates are treated, announced today it has received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to begin its US pivotal study for the Optilume BPH Catheter System.  

The FDA-approved clinical trial, known as PINNACLE, will be conducted at 20 medical facilities around the country. More than 12 million American men are reported to suffer from enlarged prostates or Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH) and over 750,000 new cases are diagnosed each year. 

“The Optilume BPH balloon pairs innovative design with powerful drug therapy to provide a simple, anatomy sparing in-office procedure that doesn’t surgically cut, burn, lase, steam or leave anything behind in the prostate like the other BPH technologies,” said Dr. Steven Kaplan, Professor, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and Director of the Men’s Wellness Program, Mount Sinai Health System in New York and the principal investigator of PINNACLE “.  This technology holds tremendous promise.”

Kaplan says the Optilume BPH balloon is also the first minimally invasive in-office therapy to provide symptom scores and flow rates similar to the more invasive gold standard known as TURP – (transurethral resection of the prostate). 

Millions of men struggle to deal with the symptoms of BPH, including frequency, nocturia, intermittency, urgency, weak stream and straining to urinate as a result of being refractory or non-responsive, or unwilling to deal with the side effects of medical therapy, or reluctant to undergo an invasive surgical procedure requiring general anesthesia.   

"We are excited about the accomplishments our team has made," said Urotronic CEO David Perry.  “FDA approval is really a validation of our work to this point highlighting Urotronic’s potential to truly transform the urology market through an innovative approach and treatment for men suffering from BPH.”

The Optilume BPH procedure is a minimally invasive treatment that gives urologists the opportunity to offer an office-based or outpatient treatment option that may provide relief to men who are looking for an alternative to currently available BPH treatment offerings. 

Dr. Kaplan and other investigators will monitor the progress of the PINNACLE clinical trial, which will get underway shortly and will follow the patients for a period of five years.  The FDA will monitor the progress as well.

“This technology is very disruptive, and the end beneficiary is going to be the patients,” said investor and company board member Doug Kohrs. “Urotronic has embarked on an anatomy sparing approach to treating BPH that no one else has ever taken.”

The Optilume BPH Catheter System is an investigational device, not available for sale. CAUTION- Investigational Device. Limited by Federal (or United States) law to investigational use. 

The prospective PINNACLE U.S. trial markets will include but will not be limited to; Advanced Urology Institute; Daytona Beach, Fla -  Arkansas Urology; Little Rock, AR - Chesapeake Urology Associates; Baltimore, MD - Cornell University : New York, NY - Regional Urology, LLC; Shreveport ,LA - Sheldon Freedman Urology LTD: Las Vegas, NV - Western New York Urology Associates; Cheektowaga, New York- Associated Urologists of NC; Raleigh, NC -AUUA (Academic Urology & Urogynecology of Arizona); Phoenix, AZ- Carolina Urology Clinical Research (CUCR) ; Myrtle Beach, SC - Carolina Urology Partners; Charlotte, NC - Mount Sinai; New York, NY- Urology of Virginia; Norfolk, VA - Chesapeake 2; Baltimore, MD - Integrated Medical Professionals; Long Island, NY 

About Urotronic, Inc. 
Urotronic, Inc., headquartered in Plymouth, Minnesota, is an early stage medical device company currently conducting clinical trials to support global commercialization of their products. The Optilume™ drug-coated balloon technology provides a low cost, minimally invasive treatment option for men suffering from urinary tract conditions like benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), urethral and ureteral strictures, and bladder neck contractures (BNC). The prevalence of BPH and lower urinary tract issues rises markedly with increased age. The drug-coated balloon technology under clinical investigation creates a paradigm change from the methods currently used by urologists to treat these conditions. For more information on Urotronic and our products, please visit us at   http://urotronic.com/    or to schedule interviews with any of these stakeholders contact publicist Robb Leer 612.701.0608

Weekend Blizzard Set to Bring Historic Snowfall to the Northern Rockies

Wavy jet stream consistent with climate change

An early-season snowstorm could bring up to 4 feet of snow in the Northern Rockies. The heaviest snow and most extreme conditions are forecast to happen on Saturday and Sunday, and Winter Storm Watches have been issued across portions of Montana. Such a storm has not occurred in the northwestern part of the state since 1934. 

Record-setting September snowfall isn’t what most people think of when they imagine climate change, but there’s a reason scientists prefer the term “climate change” to “global warming.” Global warming describes the average global surface temperature increase from human emissions of greenhouse gases. Global warming causes climate change, a long-term change in a region’s climate, and the change isn’t always what one might expect.

Climate change is making extreme cold events less likely on average, but it is also increasing the frequency of extreme precipitation, and destabilizing the jet stream. The result is that certain areas and seasons are getting a lot more blizzard weather, and in other areas, blizzards are less common. The forecasted blizzard is the result of a wavy jet stream pattern. 

Here are the climate change signals related to the current storm:

Climate change destabilizes the jet stream.

The Arctic is warming much faster than areas farther south, which reduces the temperature difference between the two regions. Because that temperature difference provides the main fuel for the polar jet stream (a river of strong wind at levels where jet aircraft fly), the jet stream weakens and favors a more meandering north-south path.

The blizzard headed for Montana is due to a wavy jet stream pattern responsible for “record-challenging heat in the East” and “dramatically cooler conditions in the West.”

Climate change increases the frequency of extreme storms.

Warmer air holds more moisture and causes more intense rain and snow storms. NOAA scientists, examining 120 years of data, found that there were twice as many extreme regional snowstorms in the US between 1961 and 2010 compared to 1900 to 1960.

Early autumn extreme snowfall events are less likely.

On average, climate models suggest that early autumn extreme snowfall events in the Northern Great Plains are less likely due to human-caused climate change. This average trend, however, does not preclude extreme weather outbreaks tied to Arctic warming and a destabilized jet stream. These outbreaks of Arctic air can break cold temperature and snowfall records even as the average temperature increases.

###

Doctor Burnout: Are We Missing The Elephant in the Exam Room?

A few years out of residency training, I was already feeling the early symptoms of burnout: a loss of motivation in my day-to-day work, and sometimes a feeling of being trapped. Part of this was due to the fast-paced demands of outpatient care. In primary care, I felt overwhelmed by administrative duties, insurance guidelines, and cramming in too many patients into a single day. More so, I felt at a loss for treatment options. In my hospital-based training, acute exacerbations of chronic diseases felt readily treatable with drugs and procedures. But in outpatient medicine, where I was trying to meet patients and their chronic conditions in their day-to-day lives, I felt like the tools in my doctor's bag were few and far between. Anti-inflammatories, antidepressants, and acid-suppressing heartburn medications could only stave symptoms off for a period of time. Patients would be back. Sooner. Sicker. And more frustrated. This pattern fueled within me a frustration toward my own patients--the very people I'd gone into medicine to serve.

One strategy I took, which was also fueled by my own personal health challenges, was to get trained in integrative and functional medicine. Integrative means approaching the body holistically, as dynamic systems rather than isolated organs. Functional refers to the optimal functioning of the body, which involves going down to the root causes of inflammation, the common denominator for chronic conditions. So I added to my doctor's bag a wealth of tools: therapeutic diets, vitamins and minerals and other supplements, movement strategies, mind-body-spirit practices, grief work, and hormone balancing. Personally, I took restorative retreats, modified my schedule for greater work-family balance, eliminated my commute, and set a real intention to "practice pleasure," as I called it. I learned the ukulele, hiked and camped with my family, watched funny movies, and returned to reading novels. 

Still, I felt the symptoms of burnout at work simmering within me. I saw the signs in my integrative and functional medicine colleagues, too. Because that's just it--burnout is a symptom. It's not the root of the issue. There was something larger, something more hidden, that wasn't being addressed by me personally. And it certainly wasn't being addressed by the medical culture as a whole.

At the root of burnout is detachment and disconnection. I don't believe we can begin to heal detachment without confronting the elephant in the exam room: grief. With the nature of our work, we're encountering patients in their deepest fears, in their most vulnerable states, and we seem to be taught 2 options: carry it, or detach. If we carry too much of their grief, we risk getting sick ourselves. If we detach in an effort to protect ourselves, we can cope, we can function. The trouble is that we can't heal something or someone we're detached from. What's more, when we detach from others, we also detach from our own humanity. We become robotic. 

So how might we address burnout beyond symptom management? We can learn from the ancient medicine men and women who came before us--to embrace grief as a fundamental part of being human, and to respond to grief in a healthy, affirming way. In my own experience, I've learned two pathways. One is release. I attended grief retreats where we did writing practices and poem readings to awaken the soul, to evoke experiences of loss, and then we participated in rituals to help us release any grief that was stored within our bodies. Many indigenous cultures around the world have grief ceremonies as regular "detoxes." Might we as doctors have more space for empathy if we could learn to release better? A second path is transformation. I took up Wisdom Healing Qigong, a moving meditation that integrates consciousness with core-strengthening exercises, and learned that I could more readily receive the suffering of others and, through repetitive sweeping movements of the arms and direct visualizations, I could transform in my mind their suffering into an experience of compassion. 

By doing the hard work of grieving and transforming, I've let go of the biggest unstated pressure I've carried as a doctor: that it was somehow up to me, lil' ole me, to alleviate the suffering of the world. And by letting that go, I've experienced greater spaciousness for reconnection to myself and others. I've nipped burnout in the bud. 

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CYNTHIA LI, MD graduated from The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, and has practiced internal medicine in settings as diverse as Kaiser Permanente Medical Center, San Francisco General Hospital, St. Anthony Medical Clinic for the homeless, and Doctors Without Borders in rural China. Her own health challenges led her to functional medicine, a paradigm that addresses the root causes of chronic conditions. She currently serves on the faculty of the Healer's Art Program at the University of California San Francisco School of Medicine, and has a private practice. She lives in Berkeley, CA with her husband and their two daughters.

Connect with Cynthia Li, MD on Facebook @dr.cynthia.li and visit www.cynthialimd.com.

Brave New Medicine: A Doctor’s Unconventional Path to Healing Her Autoimmune Illness is available September 1, 2019 in paperback at Amazon and other retailers.