OTTAWA, Aug. 9, 2018 /CNW/ - CADTH is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. David Agnew to Chair of the CADTH Board of Directors, effective July 10, 2018.

Mr. Agnew has led a distinguished career as an executive and senior leader in the public, private, and non-profit sectors. He is currently the President of Seneca College, one of the largest colleges in Canada. His diverse experience, knowledge of corporate governance, and passion for evidence-based policy make him an ideal choice to lead the CADTH Board of Directors.

In his public service career, Mr. Agnew served as Principal Secretary to the Premier before moving on to the role of Secretary of the Cabinet and Head of the Public Service for the Government of Ontario. He also led the Public-Private Partnerships Project and was seconded to Massey College at the University of Toronto, where he was a Senior Resident.

Mr. Agnew held the position of President and CEO of UNICEF Canada, and was the first head of the organization recruited from outside the international development sector. As Principal for the consulting firm Digital 4Sight, he led the firm's global research initiative on Governance in the Digital Economy. In the co-operative sector, he was the Executive Vice-President and Corporate Secretary for the Credit Union Central of Ontario. Mr. Agnew also held the position of Ombudsman for Banking Services and Investments, the national dispute resolution service for consumers and small businesses.

Mr. Agnew is on the boards of directors for Polytechnics Canada, Colleges and Institutes Canada, and the Education Quality and Accountability Office. He is the past Chair of Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and of Colleges Ontario. He also serves on numerous other boards and committees, including the Toronto Region Immigrant Employment Council, the Council on Foreign Relations' Higher Education Working Group on Global Issues, the Sichuan University International Advisory Board, the CivicAction Steering Committee and the Canadian Ditchley Foundation Advisory Board. He is a former member of the federal government's Science, Technology, and Innovation Council, a former director of ventureLAB and the Empire Club of Canada, and has served on the campaign cabinets of the United Way in Toronto and Peel.

In 2012, Mr. Agnew received a Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal for his service to the community.

As Chair of the CADTH Board of Directors, Mr. Agnew will serve as a key spokesperson for CADTH and will be responsible for ensuring that the Board meets its obligations and fulfills its governance responsibilities. He will be integral in implementing the 2018-2021 CADTH Strategic Plan, which will see CADTH transition from a health technology assessment organization to a health technology management enterprise.

"I am delighted and honoured to accept this appointment," Mr. Agnew said. "In today's world of a rapidly growing pipeline of new drugs and devices, CADTH's role as a trustworthy source of evidence, advice, and recommendations on their appropriate use is more important than ever. I would like to thank my predecessor, Dr. Terrence Sullivan, for setting the bar so high.  I look forward to building on the successes CADTH has achieved under his tenure."

The 13-member CADTH Board of Directors is composed of an independent chair; a regional distribution of jurisdictional federal, provincial, and territorial representatives; and a number of non-jurisdictional representatives from health systems, academia, and the general public.

CADTH Board members, effective July 10, 2018, are:

Board Chair

• David Agnew

Jurisdictional and Competency-Based Directors

• Abby Hoffman: Assistant Deputy Minister, Strategic Policy Branch, Health Canada
• Mitch Moneo: Assistant Deputy Minister, Pharmaceutical Services Division, Ministry of Health, British Columbia
• Mark Wyatt: Assistant Deputy Minister, Saskatchewan Ministry of Health
• Stephen Samis: Deputy Minister, Health and Social Services, Government of Yukon
• Suzanne McGurn: Assistant Deputy Minister and Executive Officer, Ontario Public Drug Programs; and Vice-Chair of the CADTH Board of Directors
• John Abbott: Deputy Minister, Heath and Community Services, Government of Newfoundland and Labrador
• Dr. Kim Critchley: Deputy Minister, Health and Wellness, Prince Edward Island
• Dr. Brendan Carr: President and Chief Executive Officer, William Osler Health System
• Dr. Charmaine Roye: Physician
• Cathy McIntyre: Principal, Strategic Initiatives
• Ellen Pekilis: Legal, Risk, and Governance Advisor
• Dr. Stuart Peacock: Leslie Diamond Chair in Cancer Survivorship and Professor, Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University; Co-Director, Canadian Centre for Applied Research in Cancer Control; Distinguished Scientist in Cancer Control Research, British Columbia Cancer Agency

Observer

• Dr. Luc Boileau: President and CEO, Institut national d'excellence en santé et en services sociaux

About CADTH

CADTH is an independent, not-for-profit agency funded by Canadian federal, provincial, and territorial governments to provide credible, impartial advice and evidence-based information about the effectiveness of drugs and other health technologies to Canadian health care decision-makers.

Female scientists lead scorers among 32 grant awardees in annual research competition held by Canada's only nonprofit health agency dedicated to all blood cancers.

TORONTO, Aug. 8, 2018 /CNW/ - The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Canada (LLSC) is proud to announce the award of 32 new research grants to advance the science, understanding and treatment of blood cancers. Two female researchers, Drs. Rena Buckstein and Dixie Mager, earned the highest category scores among this group of Canada's leading blood cancer researchers.

"Typically, less than one third of all grant applications we receive each year is led by a female researcher," explains Alicia Talarico, LLSC President. "Despite these odds, the two research projects with the highest scores for both grant categories this year are led by female researchers and we think that deserves our attention."

Top scoring Operating Grant recipient, Dr. Buckstein of Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto, is working to improve outcomes in lymphoma patients over the age of 60. Findings from her study will have important implications for other types of cancers as well.

On the west coast, Vancouver-based researcher, Dr. Mager from the B.C. Cancer Agency, earned top marks in the New Idea grant competition for her study investigating a safer, more cost-effective way of treating acute lymphoblastic leukemia in children that could see applications for lymphoma and other types of cancer, such as colorectal or breast cancer.

"Getting started on this project was difficult at first because I needed to find the funds to support the work," says Dr. Mager.  "Few agencies will take a chance on this type of novel research in its early stages."

Each year, the LLSC receives more deserving applications than the number of grants available. 2018 will see more than $3.7 million awarded in grants to world class researchers in Canada by the LLSC.

View the full list of LLSC grant recipients on our website:

Operating Grants: llscanada.org/2018-funded-researchers

New Idea Award winners: llscanada.org/new-idea-award-recipients

Approximately 22,300 Canadians of all ages are diagnosed with leukemia, Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin lymphoma, myeloma and related blood cancer disorders each year. Blood Cancers are the third leading cause of cancer death in Canadian men and the fourth in women. Despite advances in treatments, the five-year survival rate for most blood cancers is still lower than many other cancers.

About the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of Canada

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of Canada is the single largest voluntary health agency dedicated to all blood cancers in Canada. Since 1955, LLSC has funded life-saving blood cancer research and provided information and support services, at no cost, to patients and their families. Our mission is to cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families. To find out more visit llscanada.org.

TORONTO and SMITHS FALLS, ON, Aug. 8, 2018 /CNW/ - Canopy Growth Corporation (TSX: WEED) (NYSE: CGC) ("Canopy Growth" or the "Company") and its wholly owned subsidiary, Canopy Health Innovations Inc. ("Canopy Health" or "CHI") is pleased to announce that approval has been received from the Veterinary Drug Directorate of Health Canada to research the effectiveness of cannabidiol ("CBD") to treat anxiety in certain animals. The research will be conducted by Canopy Animal Health ("CAH"), a division of Canopy Health which focuses on developing cannabis-based healthcare products for companion animals.

The approval comes in the form of a No Objection Letter for the use of a proprietary CBD enriched oil formulation, previously administered in preclinical dosing and safety studies, as a potential therapy for anxiety. The CBD formulation will be produced by Canopy Growth in its GMP-certified production facility in Smiths Falls, Ontario.

"Our passion to create safe and effective products for animals is driven by the love we share for our pets," commented Marc Wayne, Managing Director, Canopy Health Innovations. "The use of natural-occurring cannabinoids as a therapy for companion animals is a logical new forefront of medical discovery and the research we are working on at CAH is world leading. These trial approvals mark a significant milestone on the journey of making cannabis-based drugs accepted and recommended by veterinarians."

Canopy Animal Health, the global leader in cannabinoid science for pets, continues to build a strong portfolio of safety and dosing data for certain animals which it plans to share with the veterinary community and pet owners, through publications and scientific conferences.

Canopy Health continues to focus on the robust research and development of innovative cannabis-related products. Recently, it was announced that Canopy Growth had acquired the remaining unowned interest in Canopy Health, a move that will further accelerate CHI's efforts to research effective cannabis formulations and dose delivery systems for human and animals.

Here's to Future Growth (and to helping our pets!)

About Canopy Growth Corporation
Canopy Growth is a world-leading diversified cannabis and hemp company, offering distinct brands and curated cannabis varieties in dried, oil and Softgel capsule forms. 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.

Canopy Growth has established partnerships with leading sector names including cannabis icon Snoop Dogg, breeding legends DNA Genetics and Green House seeds, and Fortune 500 alcohol leader Constellation Brands, to name but a few. Canopy Growth operates ten cannabis production sites with over 2.4 million square feet of production capacity, including over 500,000 square feet of GMP-certified production space. Canopy Growth has operations in 10 countries across five continents. The Company is proudly dedicated to educating healthcare practitioners, conducting robust clinical research, and furthering the public's understanding of cannabis, and through its fully owned subsidiary, Canopy Health Innovations, has devoted millions of dollars toward cutting edge, commercializable research and IP development. Through partly owned subsidiary Canopy Rivers Corporation, Canopy Growth is providing resources and investment to new market entrants and building a portfolio of stable investments in the sector. From our historic public listing to our continued international expansion, pride in advancing shareholder value through leadership is engrained in all we do at Canopy Growth. For more information visit www.canopygrowth.com

About Canopy Health Innovations
Canopy Health Innovations (Canopy Health) operates as an affiliated research arm of Canopy Growth Corporation and its subsidiaries. Canopy Health is owned fully by Canopy Growth and its business model is to engage simultaneously in numerous research areas, with a strict focus on the creation and enhancement of intellectual property, which is then retained exclusively on a first-priority basis. Canopy Health is focused on providing more in depth and advanced understanding of the cannabis plant and the potential medical uses for both humans and animals. This, combined with a more favourable regulatory system, and a global paradigm shift towards the normalization of cannabis, positions Canopy Health as an ideal company to conduct research, and develop safe, effective, natural medicines derived from cannabis.

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: "The research will be conducted by Canopy Animal Health", "The CBD oil will be produced by Canopy Growth in its GMP-certified production facility in Smiths Falls, Ontario", and "will enable Canopy Health to continue building a strong portfolio of safety and dosing data". Canopy Growth's ability to realize the anticipated benefits from the acquisition of CHI and CAH is subject to a number of factors, many of which are outside the control of Canopy Growth, and some of the anticipated benefits may not come to fruition. 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, and such risks contained in the Company's annual information form dated June 27, 2018 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.