Australian pharmaceutical and healthcare company Bioxyne (ASX:BXN), via its subsidiary Breathe Life Sciences UK Ltd (BLSUK), has secured about £850,000 (A$1.7 million) in funding commitments from South of Scotland Enterprise (SOSE) to fit out and establish a medicinal cannabis manufacturing and distribution facility in the UK.
Bioxyne manufactures and distributes novel medicines, health products and active pharmaceutical ingredients, including medicinal cannabis, MDMA and psilocybin.
The company has targeted the UK as it is currently the second-largest medicinal cannabis market in Europe after Germany. UK patients had an estimated average annual spend of about £3,261 (€3,811) on medicinal cannabis in 2024, compared with around £1,342 (€1,563) per patient in Germany.
The package with BLSUK comprises a five-year, £500,000 loan facility and a grant of £348,250 from SOSE.
“We are confident that the UK market, which is seeing tremendous year-over-year growth, will underpin the company’s continuous growth trajectory. Existing manufacturing infrastructure in UK is insufficient to keep up with local demand, and that’s an opportunity for BLSUK to enter and grow with the market,” Bioxyne CEO Sam Watson said.
“BLSUK has a growing UK customer base; establishing our UK facility is critical to offering clients our renowned quality and service levels, and replicating our Australian success internationally.”
British site secured
BLSUK has secured a site in the Scottish Borders region of a similar size to its Australian facility, with plans to become a significant provider of manufacturing and distribution services to the UK medicinal cannabis market and a key employer in the region.
Fit-out of the site and applications to the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and the Home Office for the required licences are expected to be completed in 2026.
“We are delighted to welcome BLSUK, a key international life sciences company, to our region,” Jane Morrison-Ross, chief executive of South of Scotland Enterprise said. “The South of Scotland has witnessed inward investment enquiries increase by over 450%, with a surge in innovative life sciences and energy companies. The arrival of BLSUK is further confirmation that our region is the place to do innovative business.”
Bioxyne fulfils first orders for Australian-made GMP MDMA capsules for PTSD treatment
Bioxyne, through Breathe Life Sciences, recently has fulfilled two standing purchase orders for GMP-manufactured MDMA capsules (BLSMD40) for use in the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in Australia.
BLS is Australia’s first TGA GMP-licensed pharmaceutical manufacturer of psychedelic and psychoactive medicines and has now manufactured and released BLSMD40 capsules that meet Australian and international pharmaceutical standards. The capsules are being supplied to clinical trials in Victoria and to authorised prescribers (psychiatrists) providing psychedelic-assisted therapy services in Queensland.
BLSMD40 is an investigational medicine intended for treatment-resistant PTSD and is being supplied via Australia’s Authorised Prescriber pathway for MDMA-assisted therapy. Initial purchase volumes will cover more than 400 patient doses.
The company notes that around 12% of Australians experience PTSD during their lifetime, underscoring the need for more effective treatment options. Globally, the psychedelic drugs market is forecast to grow to about A$14 billion by 2032, reflecting rising acceptance of psychedelic-assisted therapies.
Bioxyne says the fulfilment of these first orders positions the company at the forefront of emerging mental health treatments in Australia, enabling local access to high-quality, Australian-made, GMP-compliant MDMA capsules for patients with PTSD.
About Breathe Life Sciences
BLS, a wholly owned subsidiary of Bioxyne, is a GMP-licensed manufacturer, wholesaler, importer and exporter of controlled substances (S3, S4, S8, S9), including medicinal cannabis, psilocybin and MDMA.
Founded in 2018, BLS has grown into a multinational business focused on alternative therapeutics and investigational medicines. Its corporate head office is in Sydney, with licensed manufacturing, warehousing, import/export, sales and distribution operations in Queensland (Australia), Nagoya (Japan), Manchester (UK) and Prague (Czechia).
BLS’ business model centres on the manufacture of final-dose form medicines, alongside sales and distribution. The company sources raw materials and APIs from suppliers across five continents and is a leading Australian manufacturer of therapeutic goods including cannabis, MDMA and psilocybin.
Internationally, the BLS Group operates across pharmaceuticals, medical cannabis, consumer health products and novel foods (CBD), with activities in the UK, Europe and Japan including:
- Ownership of the Dr Watson® brand in the UK, Japan, Australia and New Zealand, recognised for cannabis-based food supplements, health products and prescription-only cannabis medicines.
- Contract drug manufacturing and white-label manufacturing of scheduled medicines, therapeutic goods, medical devices, consumer health products and active pharmaceutical ingredients, with BLS manufacturing more than 200 of Australia’s medicinal cannabis brands.
- Import, export and wholesale of APIs, starting materials, patient-ready medicinal products and consumer health products in Australia, Japan, the UK, the USA and Europe.
- Research and development of novel medicines.
- Direct-to-consumer and wholesale sales of BLS-owned brands, including Dr Watson®.