Editor's Spotlight
Hot Right Now: Probiotics and cannabis innovations feature in our top stories on social media
CBD expansion: Aussie pharma firm outlines Asia nutraceutical plans after China launch
Australian bio-pharmaceutical firm MGC Pharmaceuticals is eyeing expansion in East and South East Asia with its cannabis-based nutraceutical products, after having recently launched in China.
In April this year, the company signed a deal with Chinese e-commerce import platform YuShop Global to distribute its CBD nutraceutical product line in the country; the agreement also involves YuShop providing sales, marketing, logistics and customer services for MGC in China.
The e-commerce platform — which has 1,500 retail partners in addition to its digital platform — is also in the midst of an eight-week market test campaign to gather data for a full-scale sales and marketing campaign to commence in June.
WATCH: From high to health — the evolution of cannabis applications in APAC
Supplements containing cannabidiol (CBD) and functional foods with hemp are among the biggest buzz categories in nutrition right now, but can they become mainstream commercial success stories in APAC?
Today, a renewed public interest in the therapeutic qualities of cannabis is being driven by a growing number of scientific studies focused on assessing its effects on cognitive health, chronic pain, and even conditions such as Tourette syndrome and Alzheimer's disease.
This has encouraged supplement, nutraceutical and pharmaceutical firms alike to launch health products containing CBD, to varying degrees of commercial success, all while subject to a fragmented regulatory landscape.
WATCH: Building on tradition to breathe new life into the bone and joint health sector
Asia-Pacific's growing ageing population has led to increased innovation in the bone and joint health supplement space, but products targeting more life stages and categories are also finding success in the sector.
With the emphasis on preventative healthcare gradually growing, brands have employed novel ingredients and delivery systems to offer a wider range of products for a larger demographic.
In this month's Nutrition Asia series, we speak to TSI Pharmaceuticals' chief strategy officer and director of sales and marketing, Gabriel Perera, who tells us how more Asian parents are investing in bone and joint health supplements for their children.
Psyched for psychobiotics: Bened increases reach in Asia and Europe with new study and proprietary strain
Taiwan's Bened Biomedical is expanding its psychobiotic business from APAC to Europe, with a new proprietary probiotic strain, as well as recent research on its established PS128 product, driving the firm's continued growth.
Speaking to NutraIngredients-Asia, Bened's international business development head, Alain Delpy, said: "We recently signed five-year exclusive agreements with major pharmaceutical companies in several EU countries (including Germany, Poland and Spain), as well as in Australia and New Zealand, to expand the market for PS128."
One such company is Neuraxpharm Group, which specialises in treating central nervous system (CNS) disorders. It is due to launch its first probiotic in Europe, starting with Italy, under an exclusive licensing agreement with Bened.
Plum power: Aussie firm eyeing East Asian expansion with science-backed metabolic health products
Australian nutraceutical firm Nutrafruit is fine-tuning its plum-derived formulations as it eyes expansion in East Asia, with continued scientific research lending credibility to its health claims.
In a recent Victoria University clinical trial involving 32 mildly hypertensive or overweight individuals aged 20 to 60, daily consumption of 250ml of the company's signature Queen Garnet plum nectar was said to have lowered blood pressure and inhibited metabolic syndrome risk factors, such as fasting glucose, insulin and LDL cholesterol.
These effects were reportedly similar to those of anti-hypertensive medication, and were attributed to cyanidin 3-glucoside, the anthocyanin found in Queen Garnet plums.
