- Steady progress against the efficiency plans initiated in
mid-2021 with the transition to the current senior management team.
Expects a reduction in its annualized fixed costs by approximately
25% compared to 2022 as a result of these ongoing efforts.
- The Company is focused on consistently reducing expenses and
improving efficiency to facilitate a rapid transition to a cash
flow positive position as its revenue continues to grow.
- Intends to amend the terms of 2,823,750 common share purchase
Warrants, reducing the exercise price from C$1.44 to C$0.65
per Common Share.
TORONTO and RIONEGRO, Colombia, Feb. 2, 2023
/CNW/ - PharmaCielo Ltd. ("PharmaCielo" or the "Company")
(TSXV: PCLO) (OTCQX: PCLOF), the Canadian parent of Colombia's premier cultivator and producer of
dried flower and medicinal-grade cannabis extracts, PharmaCielo
Colombia Holdings S.A.S. ("Holdings"), today provided a corporate
update, regarding progress against the efficiency initiatives it
began to implement in mid-2021, which are designed to accelerate
the Company's path to profitability. The Company also announced its
intention to amend existing warrant terms, and issue shares for
debt.
Efficiency Initiatives and Issuance of Shares for
Debt
PharmaCielo initiated and began to implement a comprehensive
efficiency plan in mid-2021, concurrent with the current senior
management team joining the business. The ongoing initiatives
designed to achieve this plan are focused on consistent expense
reduction and improving efficiency to facilitate a rapid transition
to a cash flow positive position as the Company's sales team
continues to execute on revenue opportunities. PharmaCielo has
recently initiated additional steps in this ongoing plan, which it
expects will result in a reduction of its annualized fixed costs by
approximately 25% compared to 2022. These efficiencies will be
achieved by outsourcing certain production processes, eliminating
unnecessary legacy costs, such as its Medellin corporate office, as well as by
voluntary salary reductions and headcount reductions. The Company
also announced that, to pay a portion of the severance costs,
estimated to not exceed C$450,000, it
intends to issue, subject to the approval of the TSX Venture
Exchange (the "TSXV"), up to 1,549,627 common shares of the Company
(the "Payment Shares"), at an effective price to be determined
based on a 10-day volume weighted average price at the time of
issuance.
The Payment Shares will be issued in reliance on certain
prospectus exemptions available under securities legislation and
will fall within the four-month plus one day statutory hold
period.
Bill Petron, CEO of
PharmaCielo, said, "Our team has made significant progress
since I joined the organization in mid-2021, and today we announced
additional steps in our long-term plan to steadily move toward
positive cash flow. In partial achievement of that objective, our
senior team including our CFO Ian and I, will be taking salary
reductions. We strongly believe that PharmaCielo is positioned to
create value for shareholders, and these steps, along with the
personal capital that both senior management and members of the
board of directors have injected into the Company, back up this
belief. Our sales team has made significant progress over the past
12 months, and we are confident that with the progress to date and
our current pipeline, 2023 will be an important year for
PharmaCielo as we continue to scale our operations with a view to
generating growth and value for shareholders."
Amendment of Warrant Terms
PharmaCielo has applied to the TSXV to amend the terms of
2,823,750 common share purchase warrants of the Company (the
"Warrants") that were issued pursuant to the non-brokered private
placement of debenture units over multiple closings (the "Private
Placement"). The Warrants currently have an exercise price of
C$1.44 per common share (each, a
"Common Share") and will expire on December
24, 2024. The purpose of the proposed amendments
(collectively, the "Amendments") is to (i) reduce the exercise
price of the Warrants from C$1.44 to
C$0.65 per Common Share, and (ii) add
an Acceleration Clause (as defined herein). In accordance with the
terms of the warrant indenture under which the Warrants were
issued, the Amendments must be approved by the holders of the
outstanding Warrants. Therefore, in order to give effect to the
Amendments, the Company will be promptly seeking the written
consent of the holders of Warrants to such Amendments.
Subject to the approval of the TSXV, the Warrant terms will
include an amended clause whereby, if for any 10 consecutive
trading days during the unexpired term of the Warrants, the closing
price of the Common Shares on the TSXV is equal to or greater than
C$1.00, the expiry date will be
accelerated to 30 calendar days (the "Acceleration Clause"). The
Company will announce any such accelerated expiry date of the
Warrants by news release. All other terms and conditions of the
Warrants remain the same. The amended warrant terms remain subject
to the final acceptance of TSXV.
About PharmaCielo
PharmaCielo Ltd. (TSXV: PCLO, OTCQX: PCLOF)
is a global company, headquartered in Canada, with a focus on ethical
and sustainable processing and supplying of all natural,
pharmaceutical-grade medical cannabis products to large
channel distributors. PharmaCielo's principal (and
wholly owned) subsidiary is PharmaCielo Colombia Holdings
S.A.S., headquartered at its cultivation
and processing center located in
Rionegro, Colombia.
The board of directors and executive team of PharmaCielo are
comprised of a diversely talented group of international
business executives and specialists with relevant and varied
expertise. PharmaCielo recognized the significant role that
Colombia's ideal location plays in
building a sustainable business
in the medical cannabis industry, and the Company,
together with its directors and executives, is executing on a business
plan focused on supplying the international marketplace.
Forward-Looking Statements
This news release
contains forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements can be identified
by the use of words such as "expects", "is expected", "intends",
"anticipates", "believes", or variations of such words and
phrases or state that certain actions, events or results "may"
or "will" be taken,
occur or be completed or achieved. Forward-looking statements in this news release
include, without limitation, statements regarding the issuance of
the Payment Shares, including the terms thereof and the closing
date therefor.
The forward-looking statements in this news release are necessarily based on assumptions, including assumptions with respect to PharmaCielo's ability
to obtain necessary approvals for the issuance of the Payment
Shares and Amendments to Warrant terms.
Forward-looking statements can be affected
by known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other
factors, including changes to PharmaCielo's
development plans, the failure to obtain and maintain all necessary regulatory approvals relating to the export
of cannabinoid products and the import of these products into
other countries, TSX Venture Exchange approval, the inability
to export or distribute commercial products through sales channels
as anticipated due to economic or operational circumstances,
risks associated with operating in Colombia, fluctuation of the market price
for the Company's products, risks associated with global economic
instability relating to COVID-19 or other developments, risks
related to retention of key Company personnel, currency
exchange risk, competition in PharmaCielo's market and other risks
discussed or
referred to under the heading "Risk Factors" in PharmaCielo's Annual
Information Form for the financial
year ended December 31, 2019,
which is available at www.sedar.com. Accordingly, readers should
not place undue reliance
on forward-looking statements. Except as required
by law, PharmaCielo undertakes no obligation to publicly update
any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events
or otherwise.
Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services
Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX
Venture
Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy
or accuracy of this press release.
SOURCE PharmaCielo Ltd.