Marijuana producer Aphria lowers cash offer for Nuuvera Inc.

LEAMINGTON — In an unusual move, licensed marijuana producer Aphria Inc. is cutting the amount of cash it is offering for cannabis company Nuuvera Inc. — from $1 to 60 cents per share — as Nuuvera seeks to fully acquire its subsidiary Avanti Rx Analytics.

Leamington-based Aphria said Tuesday it reached an agreement with Toronto-based Nuuvera to the lower the price but did not elaborate on why.

Nuuvera said in a separate news release it agreed to the amendment “in order to fund” its own acquisition of the remaining 49 per cent interest of Avanti — which provides research and testing services to the cannabis industry — for an estimated $43 million.

The company did not explain why receiving less money from Aphria would help fund its own transaction.

“The acquisition of Avanti is an important step in the history of Nuuvera and is expected to result in synergies at the combined Nuuvera/Aphria which will enhance the value of the arrangement to shareholders of Nuuvera,” Ronald Schmeichel, Nuuvera’s chair, said in a statement.

Neither company could not be immediately reached for further comment.

Nuuvera said it entered into a letter of intent to acquire the remaining interest of Avanti from a single minority shareholder.

As part of the deal, Nuuvera also anticipates acquiring Avanti’s facility in Brampton.

The original agreement was valued at $826 million, according to Aphria and Nuuvera’s Jan. 29 release. The revised offer, with the reduced cash component and using Aphria’s latest closing price of $14.06, based on 80.13 million outstanding Nuuvera shares would be valued at $447.9 million.

Shares of Aphria and Nuuvera have fallen since the original deal was first announced on Jan. 29.