Injectable CBD Enters IV Therapy Market With Apex Labs Novel Solution
Apex Labs CBD recently announced its entrance into a new frontier in delivery methods of cannabinoids—intravenous (IV) therapy—by pioneering a first-of-its-kind solution with patent-pending technology, fit for IV use.
The key to enabling the use of cannabinoids via IV treatment is reducing the size of the CBD molecule, which currently limits the number of viable delivery formations.
The team behind Apex Labs CBD reduced the size of the CBD molecule down to a picometer to make it both water-soluble and small enough to pass through a sterile filter, making it safe for IV use. Developers have been tinkering with new ways to reduce the CBD molecule to nanoparticles, aiding absorption, but Apex Labs CBD is paring it further down in size. And it’s small: a picometer is one trillionth of a meter.
IV treatment is as safe as any other delivery method in the sense that it’s highly standardized. In addition, people new to cannabinoids who prefer a clinical setting versus smoking flower matter have a new option.
The first-of-its-kind sterile CBD solution can bring the same benefits of CBD and hemp sphere to IV therapy clinics across the country and complement a variety of functional or regenerative treatments that are already provided.
Pico IV offers the opportunity to supplement these treatments with the unique benefits of CBD, allowing IV Therapy to create custom protocols for their customers.
“For many years, both CBD and IV therapy have existed in separate spaces where people have gone to support their health and wellbeing,” Apex Labs CBD CEO and founder Joe Young tells Forbes in an email. “And many of those people are looking for a more natural or homeopathic alternative or supplement to traditional medicine when it comes to their overall health. Both industries have created loyal customers who are long-time believers in the benefits. With CBD alone, it’s only been a few years since it has become legal at the federal level and truly accessible to everyone.”
The IV Hydration Market
The potential for injectable CBD is clear: The global IV hydration therapy market size, for instance, was valued at $2.32 billion in 2022 and is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.97% from 2023 to 2030, according to Grand View Research.
IV therapy offers a safe and relatively easy way to deliver nutrients and hydration—directly into the bloodstream. It delivers vitamins, minerals, amino acids, fluids that are infused directly into the bloodstream, giving blood cells rapid access to the nutrients vital for healing. The market encompasses hydration, flu recovery, hangover recovery, jet lag, aging, and so forth. A banana bag or rally pack can deliver nutrients fast.
The CBD market is growing and becoming more standardized as well, only five years after the 2018 Farm Bill.
“Pico IV is the convergence of these two markets,” Young continues. “There are many customers who may have only tried one and get to experience the other for the first time. Or are looking to try CBD in a more clinical setting away from the traditional hemp trappings. Our new CBD IV therapy also allows a unique opportunity for providers to create custom protocols for their customers by combining CBD with vitamin infusions. And because the CBD is being injected directly into the bloodstream, the body absorbs the maximum amount of CBD.”
As the product does not contain THC, Pico IV is available in 50 states, and is covered under the 2018 Farm Bill. It’s sourced from THC-free CBD isolate, and to prove it, products are sent to a third-party testing facility, California-Ag Labs, to test for potency and purity.
Reducing the CBD Molecule
Miles Terry, Chief Scientific Officer, and co-founder created patent-pending technology that reduced the molecule size even further down to the size of a picometer, allowing for a sterile filtration process and maximum system absorptions.
He reiterated that the smaller size of the molecule is important: “The size of the CBD molecule is crucial when creating this product,” Terry says in an email. “Up until this point, it has never been able to be small enough to pass through a sterile filtration process. So any filter that removes bacteria or other contaminants, would also filter out the CBD. Using our patent-pending technology, we’re able to make CBD small enough to pass through the sterile filter and become water-soluble.”
All products are sent to a third-party testing facility, California Ag Labs, to test for potency and purity. The comprehensive test reports are published on the website and include test results for microbes, pesticides, metals, potency, mycotoxins, and residual solvents.
Pico IV is currently available with registration. Each sterile vial has 50ml infused with approximately 200mg of CBD and provides four 25mg doses. (Only licensed IV therapy providers can purchase.)