Kings, a subsidiary of Associated British Foods, has signed an agreement with Pilot Therapeutics Holdings, a US-based specialty pharmaceutical company, to source and process the specialty oil ingredients used in its botanical drugs and OTC products.
Kings is to supply the raw materials for Pilot's pipeline of prescription products and over-the-counter (OTC) products. Kings has set up an office in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, to carry out new contract.
According to Dr Floyd Chilton, Pilot's president and CEO, Kings will work directly with growers around the world on behalf of Pilot to source and harvest crops and process and deliver the specialty oils needed for Pilot's medical products.
Pilot is aiming to guarantee continuity and quality traceablity of the end products through the agreement.
"Kings is one of the world leaders in taking the 'soil to oil' approach to specialty plant-derived products. The company has a reputation for using a rigorous, scientific approach to crop sourcing and extract delivery, an approach that perfectly complements Pilot's rigorous pharmaceutical approach to botanical products," said Chilton.
He added: "By collaborating with Kings, we eliminate much of the risk in our supply chain, reduce supply costs, and ensure superior and consistent quality of the raw materials for our products."
Pilot specialises in fatty acid metabolism, and has developed Functional Liponomics, a research platform combining lipid and genomic profiling, used to develop products for asthma, coronary heart disease, cystic acne and cancer. It is expected to launch its OTC product AIROZIN, a maintenance therapy for the dietary management of asthma, this year.
Andrew Hebard, managing director of Kings, said: "Pilot's pharmaceutical approach to the development of its botanical products represents a dynamic opportunity with huge market growth potential."
Hebard added that Kings has almost 250,000 acres of specialty crops under its management worldwide, with a company presence in the UK, Canada, South America and New Zealand.