Premier Anti-Aging Co., Ltd.'s consolidated subsidiary Premier Wellness Sciences Co., Ltd. announced the launch of its new brand "Ko" with CBD (cannabidiol) as a core ingredient, effective July 21st, 2022. During the 1990's, scientists discovered a physiological system in the human and animal body called the endocannabinoid system (ECS) that regulates the body. The ECS consists of cannabinoids called "anandamide" and "2-AG" in the body, cannabinoid receptors "CB1" on neurons and cannabinoid receptors "CB2" on immune cells that bind to these cannabinoids, and naturally exists throughout the body.

The ECS maintains important biological functions, such as appetite, pain, immune system support, emotional stabilization, motor function, growth and aging, neuroprotection, memory and cognitive functions, as well as cell-to-cell communication support. Recent studies have revealed that a weaker ECS, caused by external stress and aging, may lead to various diseases. Due to an increasing number of research institutions in Japan and abroad that have completed studies suggesting that it regulates ECS, CBD, the core ingredient of Ko's products, is expected to be consumed as a functional ingredient specifically in cosmetics and health food products.

In order to prepare for a sustainable, long-term growth, PWS has successfully developed and engineered an unprecedented supply chain, including stable supply of CBD raw material, development of optimal formulations with OEMs that specialize in physical property optimization technology incorporating DDS technology DehydraTECHTM* (a technology that increases the bioavailability (BA) of CBD according to the route of administration, application, etc. and shorten the onset time of efficacy) with the ultimate goal of improving safety, stability and efficacy of products containing cannabinoids like CBD. In terms of sales channels, they will create own e-commerce infrastructure and digital marketing campaign in collaboration with parent company, Premier Anti-Aging Co., Ltd. For wholesale sales, they will work with PALTAC CORPORATION to expand sales channels.

Ko supports the health and wellness of all people, regardless nationality, gender, or race, highlighted by "All Wellness" concept. Ko brand focuses on the endocannabinoid system and circadian rhythm as key elements of wellness. All products will contain CBD and botanical extracts that target circadian rhythm conditions.

The information contained in this news release is current as of the date of publication. It is subject to change without notice due to various factors. Please be aware of this in advance.

1 CBD (cannabidiol): One of the bioactive cannabinoid compounds, contained in industrial hemp. Cannabinoid: General term that describes active compounds found in industrial hemp. There are 114 different cannabinoid compounds discovered so far.

On PubMed, the world's largest medical, biological, pharmaceutical database provided by the National Library of Medicine (NLM), over 1000 research and studies related to cannabinoids are published on an annual basis. Drug delivery system (DDS): A pharmaceutical technology that minimizse side effects, while maximizing drug efficacy by controlling the drug distribution in the body. It is classified as the following according to the drug to be used and the intended use; Promotion of drug absorption, sustained release performance to enhance drug sustainability, longevity of drugs with fast metabolism in the body, targeting performance to deliver drugs only to specific sites such as tissues and cells targeted.

DehydraTECH: A drug delivery system owned by Lexaria Bioscience Corp. LEXX has agreed to exclusively supply its technology to PWS with sublicense rights. DehydraTECH can increase CBD absorption by 5 to 10 times, even up to 27 times, compared to industry-standard formulated products.

Furthermore, many studies have confirmed that DehydraTECH reduces the onset of efficacy from 1 to 2 hours to few minutes. Circadian Rhythm: An important biological process that regulates internal clock, roughly every 24 hours and maintains biological homeostasis (called circadian rhythm). Recently, it has been reported that several genes are involved in this internal rhythm and its function.

The Clock, Bmal, Per, and Cry genes are the major clock genes that generate periodic transcription. It is believed that the main mechanism of circadian rhythm is regulated by the transcriptional /translational system with a negative feedback loop which can generate fluctuational gene expression rhythm for roughly 24 hours. This gene is found in almost all cells and organs in the human body and it has its own unique rhythm in each organ.

Furthermore, the gene not only shows the internal biological clock, but also controls several gene expressions directly and indirectly for adapting to the external environment, acting as a timer controlling on and off throughout the day. Today, ports are published frequently, claiming that environmental changes, such as stress, sleep deprivation, overeating, irregular diet, have been the main causes of poor lifestyle-related diseases and psychological conditions, suggesting the underlying relevance of circadian rhythm in their weakened health.