30 October 2018 - - The board of directors of Canadian drugmaker FSD Pharma Inc. (CSE: HUGE) (OTCQB: FSDDF) (FRA: 0K9) has appointed Dr. Raza Bokhari as interim CEO and Co-chairman of the board of directors, replacing Thomas Fairfull, the company said.

Bokhari currently serves as the chairman and CEO of PCL, a global diagnostic provider of addiction screening and opioid prescription medication monitoring, including designer drugs and synthetic cannabinoids.

He is also the managing partner of RBx Capital, LP and Recipient of Philadelphia Business Journal's "40 under 40" award.

Physician turned entrepreneur, Bokhari has over the past several years developed outstanding expertise in aggregating and accelerating life sciences and healthcare services companies.

He has a vast knowledge base of developing creative concepts, implementing programs and forming strategic alliances. 

Bokhari has a Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of Punjab, Rawalpindi Medical College, and an Executive MBA from Temple University, Fox School of Business and Management.

Thomas Fairfull will retain his role as president and chief executive officer of FV Pharma Inc., the company's wholly-owned subsidiary and licensed producer under the Cannabis Act.

The board of directors is also pleased to announce the appointment of Zeeshan Saeed to the position of president of FSD Pharma Inc. and of Anthony Durkacz as co-chairman of the board.

Zeeshan Saeed is an entrepreneur and a founding member of FV Pharma Inc. who was instrumental in the raising of the original seed capital. He also played an integral role in bringing together a team of professionals in the development of the corporation business plan as well as bringing key relationships to the company.

He has experience in international capital markets and has helped various startups with the process of raising initial funding and getting listed on various stock exchanges.

Saeed is a Founder of FSD Pharma and was in the role of EVP prior to his promotion as president. He is an Engineer by trade. 

Anthony Durkacz is currently a director of FSD Pharma and a director and executive vice president at First Republic Capital Corp. since January 2014.

First Republic Capital Corp. acted as the exclusive agent of the company and has raised approximately USD 53m of equity capital to date.

Durkacz holds an Honours Bachelor of Business Administration from Brock University with a major in both Accounting and Finance. He has vast experience in financing, mergers and acquisitions and structuring companies to go public.

FSD Pharma is focused on the development of the highest quality indoor grown pharmaceutical grade cannabis and on the research and development of cannabinoid therapies targeting a multitude of ailments.

The company is currently in phase 1 of its growth plans with 25,000 square feet of indoor grow space available at its Ontario facility and an additional 220,000 square feet in development with an expected completion date of January 2019.

The facility sits on 72 acres of land with 40 acres primed for development and an expansion capability of up to 3,896,000 square feet.

Pending approval by Health Canada, the expanded 220,000 square feet of grow space is expected to be operational in 1Q19.

FV Pharma, a wholly-owned subsidiary of FSD Pharma, is a licensed producer of cannabis having received its cultivation license under the Access to Cannabis for Medical Purposes Regulations (ACMPR) on October 13, 2017 and is now operating under the recently enacted Cannabis Act. 

Headquartered at the former Kraft plant in Cobourg, Ontario, approximately an hour's drive from Toronto, FV Pharma management's mission is to transform the facility into the largest hydroponic indoor cannabis facility in the world.

FV Pharma intends to target all legal aspects of the cannabis industry, including cultivation, processing, manufacturing, extracts and research and development.