NEW YORK & PURCHASE, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Columbia Care Inc. (“Columbia Care”, or the “Company”) (NEO: CCHW), one of the largest multi-state operators in the medical cannabis industry, with licenses in 15 jurisdictions in the US and the EU, and Westmed Medical Group (‘Westmed’), an award-winning multispecialty medical practice staffed by a team of 500 top physicians and advanced care providers, today announced the initiation of a collaborative study examining the therapeutic effectiveness and safety of medical cannabis as a pain reliever in rheumatologic patients with inflammatory arthritis. The collaborative study was recently reviewed and approved by the White Plains Hospital Institutional Review Board (IRB).

The research will be led by Dr. Jill Landis, M.D., board certified rheumatologist at Westmed. The study will enroll approximately 100 patients and will examine the efficacy and safety of six months of treatment with ClaraCeed™, Columbia Care’s patent pending hard-pressed, high-CBD, broad-spectrum medical cannabis tablets, in combination with patients’ current non-opioid pain regimens, to reduce patient-reported pain outcomes. Patient Global Assessment and pain scores will be recorded during monthly observational visits.

“ Initiating this trial marks an important milestone for the rheumatologic community, as it will be the first step in determining whether a unit-dosed, precisely formulated cannabis-derived medicine can relieve the pain of many patients suffering from arthritis, who are not satisfied with their current treatment options,” said Dr. Landis. “ We are also collecting safety information regarding the use of medical cannabis in the rheumatologic population, many of whom are taking numerous other medications,” Landis continued. “ This type of controlled, regulated research is crucial to furthering our scientific knowledge of the safety and therapeutic uses of medical cannabis products.”

Rosemary Mazanet, M.D., Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer and Chair of the Scientific Advisory Board at Columbia Care added, “ We are privileged to collaborate with Westmed and White Plains Hospital in this rigorous scientific research study made possible by the consistency and pharmaceutical-quality of our proprietary portfolio of medical cannabis products. To our knowledge, the study is the first of its kind to address this population of rheumatologic patients where a great unmet medical need to decrease joint pain currently exists. We have seen first-hand that our consistently-dosed cannabis-based medicines offer much-needed relief as well as an improved quality of life for patients who are suffering, and we are hopeful that this controlled research study using our uniquely-formulated and patent-pending ClaraCeed™ tablets will validate these anecdotal findings.”

About Westmed Medical Group

Westmed Medical Group (“Westmed”) is an award-winning multispecialty medical practice, staffed by a team of 500 top physicians and advanced care providers, and 1,500 clinical employees who are dedicated to providing patients with comprehensive, lifelong care. The practice has 13 locations in Westchester County, NY and Fairfield County, CT, and is known for the convenience of its full-service medical facilities, and national reputation for measured healthcare excellence. Westmed has New York medical offices in White Plains, Rye, Yonkers, Purchase, Scarsdale and New Rochelle, with Connecticut offices in Greenwich, Darien, Stamford and Norwalk. For more information on Westmed, please visit www.westmedgroup.com.

About Columbia Care Inc.

Columbia Care Inc. (“Columbia Care” or the “Company”) is one of the largest and most experienced multi-state operators in the medical cannabis industry, with licenses in 15 jurisdictions in the US and the EU. With over 1,000,000 successful sales transactions since its inception, Columbia Care is a patient-centered organization setting the standard for compassion, professionalism, quality, caring and innovation, working in collaboration with some of the most renowned and innovative teaching hospitals and medical centers in the world. The Company is committed to providing the type of education and transparency patients deserve and quality of product that clinicians expect. In New York, among the many products Columbia Care manufactures and sells, EleCeed™, TheraCeed™ and ClaraCeed™ are the flagship pharmaceutical product lines and are available in tablet, vaporization, tincture, suppository and topical formulations. For more information on Columbia Care, please visit www.col-care.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation which are based upon Columbia Care’s current internal expectations, estimates, projections, assumptions and beliefs and views of future events. Forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "expect", "likely", "may", "will", "should", "intend", "anticipate", "potential", "proposed", "estimate" and other similar words, including negative and grammatical variations thereof, or statements that certain events or conditions "may", "would" or "will" happen, or by discussions of strategy. Forward-looking information include estimates, plans, expectations, opinions, forecasts, projections, targets, guidance or other statements that are not statements of fact. Any forward-looking information speaks only as of the date on which it is made, and, except as required by law, Columbia Care does not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. New factors emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for Columbia Care to predict all such factors. When considering these forward-looking statements, readers should keep in mind the risk factors and other cautionary statements in Columbia Care’s final prospectus dated March 21, 2019 and filed with the applicable Canadian securities regulatory authorities on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. The risk factors and other factors noted in Columbia Care’s Annual Information Form could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those described in any forward-looking information.