NGX-6052

Tilray Led Study Shows Chronic Pain, Arthritis, Anxiety, and Insomnia as Primary Illnesses and Symptoms for Medical Cannabis Use 53.8% of Medical Cannabis Patients in Study Reported a Decrease on Prescription Opioid Use NEW YORK, April 03, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Tilray Medical, a division of Tilray Brands, Inc. ("Tilray") (Nasdaq: TLRY; TSX: TLRY) and a global leader in medical cannabis, empowering the therapeutic alliance between patients and healthcare practitioners to make informed individualized health decisions, transforming healthcare, today announced a new Tilray led scientific publication, Age-related Patterns of medical Cannabis Use: A Survey of Authorized Patients in Canada. The new study was derived from the Canadian Cannabis Patient Survey (CCPS) 2021, comprised of 2,697 patients and focused primarily on older patients with a mean age of 54.3. This study presents to the medical and scientific community the consumption trends observed in patients and the self-reported impacts from medical cannabis in alleviating the patients’ primary symptoms. The Age-related Patterns of Medical Cannabis Use study finds that older patients comprise a growing subset of medical cannabis patients. The primary illnesses and symptoms for which medical cannabis was sought after by patients in this study were chronic pain (27.8%) and arthritis (14.9%) as the most common primary illnesses, pain as the most common primary symptom (66%), anxiety (9%) as the third most primary illness and second most primary symptom, and insomnia/sleep disorder as a common symptom co-morbid with chronic pain and other illnesses reported by 34.6%. Among patients taking prescription opioids, 53.8% reported a decrease in use over the past year with medical cannabis. Study participants reported that cannabis had a high degree of efficacy in alleviating their illness or symptoms, and many reported a reduction in their use of prescription opioids, alcohol, tobacco, and other substances. José Tempero, Tilray’s Medical Director, said, "Our role in this initiative exemplifies our commitment to medical research, leading us one step closer to unlocking the full therapeutic potential of medical cannabis." Tilray Medical’s mission is to continue transforming lives and fostering dignity for patients in need through access to medical cannabis, and today is a leading provider of EU-GMP certified medical cannabis products in over 20 countries with a comprehensive portfolio of THC and CBD products. Tilray has supported medical trials globally, across Europe, Canada, the United States, Australia, and Latin America, studying the efficacy of medical cannabis as a treatment for indications including pediatric epilepsy, refractory pediatric epilepsy, cancer-induced nausea and vomiting, HIV, essential tremor, breast cancer disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder, and alcohol use disorders. About Tilray Medical Tilray Medical is dedicated to transforming lives and fostering dignity for patients in need through safe and reliable access to a global portfolio of medical cannabis brands, including Tilray, Aphria, Broken Coast, Symbios and Navcora. Tilray grew from being one of the first companies to become an approved licensed producer of medical cannabis in Canada to building the first GMP-certified cannabis production facilities in Europe, first in Portugal and later in Germany. Today, Tilray Medical is one of the largest suppliers of medical cannabis to patients, physicians, hospitals, pharmacies, researchers, and governments, in 20 countries and across five continents. For more information on Tilray Medical, visit Tilray Medical Europe, Tilray Medical Canada, and Tilray Medical Australia-New Zealand. About Tilray BrandsTilray Brands, Inc. (Nasdaq: TLRY; TSX: TLRY), is a leading global cannabis-lifestyle and consumer packaged goods company with operations in Canada, the United States, Europe, Australia, and Latin America that is changing people's lives for the better – one person at a time. Tilray Brands delivers on this mission by inspiring and empowering the worldwide community to live their very best life and providing access to products that meet the needs of their mind, body, and soul while invoking wellbeing. Patients and consumers trust Tilray Brands to deliver a cultivated experience and health and wellbeing through high-quality, differentiated brands and innovative products. A pioneer in cannabis research, cultivation, and distribution, Tilray’s unprecedented production platform supports over 20 brands in over 20 countries, including comprehensive cannabis offerings, hemp-based foods, and craft beverages. For more information on how we open a world of wellbeing, visit www.Tilray.com. Forward-Looking Statements Certain statements in this communication that are not historical facts constitute forward-looking information or forward-looking statements (together, “forward-looking statements”) under Canadian and U.S. securities laws and within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, that are intended to be subject to the “safe harbor” created by those sections and other applicable laws. Forward-looking statements can be identified by words such as “forecast,” “future,” “should,” “could,” “enable,” “potential,” “contemplate,” “believe,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “plan,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “project,” “will,” “would” and the negative of these terms or similar expressions, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. Certain material factors, estimates, goals, projections, or assumptions were used in drawing the conclusions contained in the forward-looking statements throughout this communication. Forward-looking statements include statements regarding our intentions, beliefs, projections, outlook, analyses, or current expectations. Many factors could cause actual results, performance, or achievement to be materially different from any forward-looking statements, and other risks and uncertainties not presently known to the Company or that the Company deems immaterial could also cause actual results or events to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements contained herein. For a more detailed discussion of these risks and other factors, see the most recently filed annual information form of Tilray and the Annual Report on Form 10-K (and other periodic reports filed with the SEC) of Tilray made with the SEC and available on EDGAR. The forward-looking statements included in this communication are made as of the date of this communication and the Company does not undertake any obligation to publicly update such forward-looking statements to reflect new information, subsequent events, or otherwise unless required by applicable securities laws. Contacts: Tilray Brands:Berrin Nooratanews@tilray.com InvestorsRaphael Gross203-682-8253Raphael.Gross@icrinc.com

Chemical biologists design an early 'proof-of-concept' vaccine that could lead to the first effective treatment of xylazine overdose in people. Xylazine is an FDA-approved sedative and pain reliever for use in animals, but it has severe adverse effects when used in humans. It is now illicitly being added to opioids, like fentanyl and heroin, as well as cocaine -- leading to a sharp rise in overdose deaths. Now, Scripps Research chemical biologists have developed a vaccine to block the effects of xylazine's toxicity. The vaccine works by training the immune system to attack the drug, which is described in a new paper published in Chemical Communications on April 1, 2024. "We demonstrated that a vaccine can reverse the symptoms of a xylazine overdose in rodents," says study senior author Kim D. Janda, PhD, the Ely R. Callaway, Jr. Professor of Chemistry at Scripps Research. "There is currently no remedy for xylazine poisoning other than supportive care, thus, we believe our research efforts and the data we have provided will pave the way for an effective treatment in humans." The rapid increase in lethal drug overdoses attributed to xylazine combined with fentanyl prompted the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy to declare this combination an emerging threat to the United States. Xylazine intoxication presents similarly to opioid overdose, causing respiratory and central nervous system depression, and it can heighten the effects of opioids. However, naloxone -- typically administered to reverse the effects of opioids -- does not tackle the impact of xylazine, highlighting the need for effective measures to treat acute toxicity caused by xylazine. Researchers suspect xylazine works by reducing blood flow to the brain, among other areas of the body. The drug also causes non-healing skin lesions and wounds, often located on the forearms and lower legs, that can require amputation in some cases -- giving it the nickname "zombie drug." Although no treatment currently exists, targeted vaccines may offer a solution. Vaccines nudge the immune system to create antibodies to fend off invaders. Antibodies can target viruses, bacteria and toxins. However, sometimes molecules are too small to initiate an immune response, as is the case with xylazine. So, to circumvent this problem, the researchers created a vaccine using a design principle that Janda pioneered, which relies on pairing the drug molecule (called a hapten) with a larger carrier molecule (a protein) and an adjuvant. In this study, the scientists combined a xylazine hapten with multiple different protein types, to see which combination would create a robust immune response against xylazine. The team tested three vaccine formulations (termed TT, KLH and CRM197, based on the protein involved) to see which vaccine cocktail could help rodents after being challenged with xylazine. One of the three vaccines (TT) significantly increased movement in mice given xylazine after 10 minutes, while two of the three vaccines (TT and KLH) led to an improvement in breathing. The scientists also examined how these vaccines would limit xylazine blood brain barrier, (BBB) permeation, a filtering mechanism that scrutinizes drug penetration. When xylazine was injected, it immediately crossed into the brain to bind with receptors. Antibodies typically cannot navigate the BBB; however, two of the three vaccines (TT and KLH) showed a strong ability to stop xylazine from reaching its receptors in the brain, limiting its detrimental effects. A provisional patent has been filed on the research. In the future, his team will build off this work to create a bifunctional antibody that will reverse both fentanyl and xylazine's toxicity simultaneously, something that naloxone cannot do. "A monoclonal antibody treatment could be given in tandem with the vaccine to provide both immediate and long-term protection from both opioid substance use disorders as well as opioid-xylazine overdoses," says Janda. "This strategy could make a significant impact on the opioid epidemic." "Evaluation of a Hapten Conjugate Vaccine Against the 'Zombie Drug' Xylazine" was co-authored by Mingliang Lin, Lisa M. Eubanks, Bin Zhou, and Kim D. Janda, all of Scripps Research. Funding for the study was provided by the Shadek family and Pearson Foundation.