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ADVERSE EVENTS Industry contends supplement liver injury paper confuses issues Nutraingredients-usa.com A recent research paper looking at the rate of liver injury attributed to dietary supplements has been called "disappointing" by those familiar with supplement risk assessment. The paper, authored by Victor Navarro, Ph.D., of the Drug Induced Liver Injury Network, and coauthored by Ikhlas Khan, Ph.D., of the National Center for Natural Products Research at the University of Mississippi, found that the incidence of major hepatotoxic incidents attributed to supplements are on the rise and make up 20 percent of the events. Industry experts say the paper tends to confuse the issue of whether properly made supplements could pose a significant risk. Read more→ LEGAL
Dallas judge rejects fed's attempt to close company involved in OxyElitePro case Dallas News Contract manufacturer SK Laboratories, which was indicted last November for its role in illegal activities related to USP Labs' sport nutrition supplement OxyElitePro, containing DMAA, will remain open following the ruling of a Dallas judge, who rejected the government’s request to shut the company down. He noted there is no evidence that the company is currently involved in illegal activities. SK Labs says it has become a reputable manufacturer with rigorous quality control measures in place. Read more→ MERGERS & ACQUISITIONS Merger between KD Pharma and Marine Ingredients creates new omega-3 power playerNutraingredients-usa.com The newly announced merger of KD Pharma and Marine Ingredients will result in the combined company becoming the third-largest omega-3 supplier in the sector. The new company will feature complementary capabilities, with Germany-based KD Pharma supplying ultra-high omega-3 for pharmaceutical applications and Norway-based Marine offering medium-level concentrates and custom manufacturing. Read more→ REGULATORY ‘Respectful’ approach lost in latest NDI draft guidanceNutraingredients-usa.com Commentary on the NDI guidance from Jim Lassiter, president and COO of Ingredient Identity, notes that the dietary supplements industry should again demand that FDA withdraw its NDI draft guidance and sit down with industry to "get things right." Lassiter maintains that a successful relationship between regulators and industries works best when there is an atmosphere of “respectful adversaries,” but the new draft seems to suggest that industry should just “cooperate.” Read more→ REGULATORY FDA classifies Ayurvedic products under CAM guidanceNutritional Outlook An overview of how FDA views the growing market forAyurvedic products. FDA has noted the rise of Ayurvedic products and classifies them together with complementary and alternative medicine, including Chinese medicine and homeopathic products. FDA’s CAM guidance does say the Ayurvedic products may be subject to the FD&C Act as well as the Public Health Service Act, which gives FDA authority to quarantine products arriving from other countries. The article also looks at how FTC is increasing scrutiny on substantiation of such products. Read more→ LEGAL Aker and Neptune call a truce to end long-running patent disputesNaturalProductsINSIDER In a truce that may finally end the litigation between the two krill oil suppliers, Aker Biomarine and Neptune Technologies and Bioressources have agreed to exchange license rights and payments to end their long-running intellectual property battle. The terms of agreement require that Aker will continue to have access to Neptune’s krill composition patents, and Neptune will gain the right to Aker’s select krill oil-related patent portfolio, among other stipulations. Read more→ GLOBAL REGULATORY Health Canada revamp prompts concern; companies seek creative routes for products in EU claims limbo; EU herbal product framework sees uneven enforcement; WADA, Interpol collaborate to target sports productsNutraingredients-usa.com, Nutraingredients.com Industry sources are saying the proposed changes to Health Canada’s regulatory framework for natural health products and dietary supplements could be problematic. The proposal would classify low-risk products, such as vitamins, minerals and homeopathics, without a review or license, but details are lacking for how probiotics and botanicals would be regulated. With approximately 2,000 botanical claims on hold, the European Commission is working on a solution to address substantiation standards. Meanwhile, countries and supplement companies are taking matters into their own hands by lobbying for a new legal framework and setting up their own policing systems. There is a clear divide in the way the Traditional Herbal Medicinal Product Directive has been implemented in Europe, with the U.K. and Germany having granted the most authorizations, and Italy, France and Belgium granting the fewest. Interpol has teamed with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) to fight the trade in doping products, such as steroids, hormones and banned performance-enhancing protein peptides that are being purchased, usually online, by both elite and amateur sportspeople. The Energia Project will seek to improve intelligence sharing to help snare manufacturers and distributors selling products with anabolic steroids, growth hormones, peptides and erythropoietin. Read coverage: Why Health Canada’s proposed overhaul of NHP regs are a concern to industry→ EU herbals: Creative escape routes out of botanical claims limbo land→ THMPD: Has it delivered?→ WADA, Interpol unite to fight doping, protein peptides included→ PRODUCT TESTING Mass spectrometry techniques identify 66 compounds in spearmintNutraingredients.com Researchers in Italy have found that mass spectrometry techniques can shed light on the complex phenolic matrix of spearmint. The evaluation identified 66 compounds, the widest phenolic characterization of spearmint so far. Read more→ CANNABIS/HEMP/CBD Opportunities abound as sales of hemp, cannabidiol products skyrocketNutritional Outlook Despite FDA’s strong language against hemp and cannabidiol (CBD), sales and demand for the products are skyrocketing. The article provides a look at some of the most promising health areas for these products, includingpsychosis and schizophrenia, Alzheimer’s Disease, pediatric inflammatory bowel disease and skin health. Read more→ ADOPT-AN-HERB PROGRAM Applied Food Sciences adopts kava in ABC databaseNutraceuticals World Applied Food Sciences has adopted the herb kava in the Adopt-an-Herb program that supports the American Botanical Council’s robust HerbMedPro database, a resource for consumers, students and the herb and supplements communities. The adoption of kava will keep the database updated with the latest research and pharmacological information on the herb native to the South Pacific. The company is investing in working with farmers, agronomists and the research community to provide tools for the safe and sustainable production of kava. Read more→ MARKETING Authenticity, artist comfort help endorsements live beyond a tweetBillboard For brands looking to connect with consumers via artist relationships, singer Joe Jonas suggests that companies find ways for artists to talk about the product where it doesn't feel staged. "You look at some artists and you can tell it's an ad. There are ways it can be comfortable for the artist that make sense for your brand,” he says. If that jibes, the campaign "will live beyond" just a tweet. Read more→ UNPA MEMBER NEWS Whole Foods names Lorenzen to head Pacific NW region; Brandhive hires new senior PR counsel; Standard Process awards $7,500 in new healthcare scholarshipsWhole Foods Markets, Nutraingredients-usa.com, Standard Process Inc. Whole Foods is pleased to announce the appointment of Angela Lorenzen as the new president of its Pacific Northwest Region, overseeing 22 stores in British Columbia, Washington and Oregon. Lorenzen is a results-driven leader who previously served in the Northern California region. Whole Foods Markets names Angela Lorenzen Pacific Nortwest Regional President→ BrandHive welcomes Caitlin Wallace Hadley as its new senior PR counsel. Hadley is a veteran of global PR agencies Fleishman-Hillard and Access-Emanate, a Ketchum Company. She brings a solid background in media relations and social media. Brandhive adds senior PR counsel→ Standard Process has awarded three $2,500 scholarships to students at the Southern California University of Health Sciences studying Chinese medicine and chiropractic care. As part of its ongoing effort to support students in alternative health care, the company has been presenting scholarships to SCUHS since 2010. Standard Process Inc. awards $7,500 in scholarships→ MARKET RESEARCH Euromonitor: Omega-3 growth centered in Asia PacificNutraingredients.com Europeans are apathetic about omega-3 functional foods if not about food supplements, leaving growth for the omega-3 sector primarily coming from Asia Pacific, according to new data from Euromonitor International. The data shows a 6 percent growth in omega-3 food consumption in the region.Read more→ RESEARCH Vitamin D levels may predict CVD; EU study tracks carotenoid levels; probiotics may ease MS symptoms; spearmint, rosemary aid cognition; EGCG counteracts high-fat dietNewHopeNetwork, Nutraingredients.com A recent study from Utah suggests that analyzing levels of bioavailable and regular vitamin D in a person’s blood could help forecast the risk of a cardiac event. A six-country study funded by the European Commission is offering new insights into the impact age has on plasma levels of lycopene, alpha tocopherol and alpha carotene. The researchers found that age was inversely associated with lycopene and alpha carotene and positively associated with alpha tocopherol.A new study published in the Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that patients with Multiple Sclerosis whose diets were supplemented with probiotics demonstrated a reduction in the severity of their condition as well as improvements to their mental health. They also found a reduction in inflammatory factors, insulin resistance and cholesterol and oxidation levels. A study funded by Kemin and the VA Medical Center of St. Louis suggests that spearmint and rosemary extracts improved age-related oxidation issues in brain tissue of SAMP8 mice. Researchers in Singapore, supported by Abbot Nutrition, have found that consumption of the green tea compound EGCG may help stop daytime overeating brought on by a high-fat diet. Read coverage: D levels may predict cardiac risk→ Six-country EU study tracks carotenoid levels by age→ Probiotics may ease severity of Multiple Sclerosis: Study→ Mice study supports Kemin’s spearmint and rosemary extract ingredient→ Green tea compound counteracts overeating effect of high-fat diet→ ETC. Outspoken German scholar at center of West’s debate on Chinese medicineThe New York Times German academic Paul U. Unschuld has become the West’s leading authority on ancient Chinese healing practices, and he is more about rigor and exactitude than new age healing. But he also stands at the center of the debate in the West over Chinese medicine. Unschuld challenges both ends of the spectrum. Although he is well respected for his knowledge and translation, he has done little to advance the cause of Chinese medicine. Read more→ Comments are closed.
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