Next generation products collaboration

FOR PUBLIC RELEASE

NZX Limited
Wellington

11 December 2025

Rua Bioscience reconnects with co-founder to develop smoking cessation products from native
plants

Rua Bioscience today announced a new research partnership to develop clinically-proven smoking
cessation products from New Zealand plant species, building on emerging evidence that a naturally
occurring compound in native flora could transform smoking cessation and broader public health
outcomes in Aotearoa and beyond.

Cytisine - an alkaloid found in high concentrations in kōwhai - has been used for decades in Eastern
Europe to help people quit smoking and was recently highlighted by New Zealand researchers as a
safe, effective, and affordable alternative to nicotine replacement therapy. Flinders University
Professor Natalie Walker’s clinical studies undertaken during her tenure at Auckland School of
Medicine, including trials with Māori participants, have shown cytisine to be more effective than
standard therapies, with a compelling safety profile.

Cytisine has been recognised by Medsafe as a treatment for nicotine addiction and was recently
added to the World Health Organisation list of Essential Medicines, meaning health providers in a
large number of countries are likely to be looking for suppliers of quality, proven products.

The MBIE-supported programme brings together Rua Bioscience and Rua co-founder Manu Caddie,
who’s company IO now leads several Māori community-driven ventures developing novel products
from indigenous organisms. The project will establish a Māori-governed, benefit-sharing model for
sourcing and scaling production of cytisine, trialling plantation cultivation, and completing
laboratory extraction and purification through the bioprocessing team at Callaghan Innovation.
Workstreams also include prototype product development, regulatory pathway assessment, and
market and IP strategy.

The programme may also explore innovative formulations to support smoking cessation and
investigate other therapeutic applications including mood disorders, cognitive enhancement and
alcohol addiction.

Rua CEO Paul Naske says the project reflects Rua’s founding kaupapa: “This is the next evolution of
Māori-led bioinnovation - taking a naturally occurring compound with proven benefits, ensuring
kaitiaki rights are upheld, and developing a world-class product that could improve health outcomes
here and around the world.”

MARKET UPDATE

“Investigating opportunities beyond cannabis has been in our DNA since Rua Bioscience was
founded - the company actually started with ventures focused on kānuka and kina” said Mr Naske.
“We have also collaborated with IO Ltd on the wairuakohu-derived cannabinoids research
announced earlier this year.”

Project co-lead Manu Caddie says establishing a locally governed supply chain is critical. “Patients
around the world currently rely on products derived from one supplier of cytisine, yet our own
indigenous species may be among the richest natural sources of the compound globally. This
research aims to support Māori communities to lead development from the ground up - sustainable
cultivation, extraction, formulation, IP, and benefit-sharing - aligned with tikanga and Te Tiriti.”

The 12-month project will culminate in a regulatory and commercialisation pathway for New
Zealand–made cytisine products, providing the foundation for future clinical trials and scaled
manufacturing.

ENDS  
 

The person who authorised this announcement:

Paul Naske
Chief Executive Officer
paul.naske@ruabio.com
+64 21 445154