OTTAWA, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - Feb 23, 2017) - PhytoPain Pharma (PPP), a subsidiary of Tetra BioPharma Inc. ("Tetra" or the "Company") (CSE:TBP)(TBP.CN)(OTC PINK:GRPOF), a pharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing therapeutic cannabis-based products for the treatment of pain is pleased to announce the launch of its Double-Blind Phase I Study to Assess Safety, Tolerability, Pharmacodynamics and Pharmacokinetics of Single and Multiple Daily Ascending Doses of Cannabis (Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol/ Cannabidiol) by Smoking/Inhalation in Healthy Male and Female Volunteers.

The Phase I clinical research is a classical pharmaceutical study in the development of a new drug. The trial activities will occur over a 3 to 4-month period and involve site initiation, subject recruitment and enrolment, a single daily ascending dose phase and a 7-day multiple daily ascending dose phase, followed by study termination. Algorithme Pharma has already begun recruiting subjects for the Phase I trial. This study is a pivotal safety trial as it will allow Tetra to understand the adverse effects of smoking Cannabis and associate the outcomes, such as cognitive function, to plasma levels of THC and CBD. The study will provide Tetra with the data necessary to discuss with Health Canada and FDA the potential risks in patient populations and discuss marketing requirements for specific indications.

The pharmacokinetic profile and safety data generated by the Phase I trial will allow Tetra to finalize the design of its Phase II-III clinical trial that will assess the safety and efficacy of PPP001 in cancer patients with uncontrolled pain. PPP001 is being developed for cancer patients with moderate-to-severe pain and that are not adequately controlled with the standard of care. Approximately 50% of cancer patients suffer from pain and more than 600,000 of these patients suffer from moderate-to-severe pain. In the USA, there are over 4 million cancer patients and this pain market is valued at over $5 billion USD.

"We are very pleased to announce that the start of the Phase I clinical trial activities as this keeps the company on track in its development of PPP001", commented Mr, Andre Rancourt. "With PPP001 and the mucoadhesive AdVersa® controlled-release tablet, Tetra is positioning itself to become a major player in the cancer pain therapy market," added Mr. Rancourt.

The Canadian Securities Exchange ("CSE") has not reviewed this news release and does not accept responsibility for its adequacy or accuracy.

Forward-looking statements

Some statements in this release may contain forward-looking information. All statements, other than of historical fact, that address activities, events or developments that the Company believes, expects or anticipates will or may occur in the future (including, without limitation, statements regarding potential acquisitions and financings) are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are generally identifiable by use of the words "may", "will", "should", "continue", "expect", "anticipate", "estimate", "believe", "intend", "plan" or "project" or the negative of these words or other variations on these words or comparable terminology. Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the Company's ability to control or predict, that may cause the actual results of the Company to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations include, among other things, without limitation, the inability of the Company, through its wholly-owned subsidiary, GrowPros MMP Inc., to obtain a licence for the production of medical marijuana; failure to obtain sufficient financing to execute the Company's business plan; competition; regulation and anticipated and unanticipated costs and delays, and other risks disclosed in the Company's public disclosure record on file with the relevant securities regulatory authorities. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those described in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause results or events not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The 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 statements to reflect new information, subsequent events or otherwise unless required by applicable securities legislation.