US firm targets pharmacy-friendly Europeans
Europe as the biggest potential market for its flagship product
Provasca, said to relieve key causes of cardiovascular disease.
Provasca, which is already available in the United States and Asia, has been given approval by the Spanish food safety authorities for sale as a food supplement allowing the company to begin selling the product in Spanish pharmacies immediately.
The company has also set up a subsidiary, to be named Endomatrix Europe, which has been registered with the Spanish Ministry of Health as an official importer of food supplements. It hopes to expand that status to other European countries throughout the coming year as the region offers strong potential for Provasca.
Dabney Oliver, Loomis Group press officer for Endomatrix, explained: "There is potential for a much bigger market in Europe than in America for this drug. Our research indicates that people tend to be more reliant on the pharmacist for advice rather than their cardiologist."
Provasca is just one part of two main delivery vehicles in the Endomatrix patented Endothelial Maintenance Platform (EMP), which focuses on the root cause of disease rather than the symptoms. The platform aims to maintain endothelial health by providing nutrients directly to the inner lining of the arteries stimulating the body's natural production of nitric oxide and other beneficial compounds.
To do this, the dietary supplement Provasca introduces a patented blend of natural compounds including green seaweed powder extract (leaf) and L-Arginine (as l-Arginine hydrochloride) into the arterial walls to reduce the potentially negative effects of ageing, smoking and hypertension. If left unchecked, these risk factors can lead to adhesion of cholesterol and resulting inflammation of the artery walls, both of which are known causes of cardiovascular disease.
The innermost layer of the artery, the endothelial cells , have important regulatory functions in preserving the blood vessel's homeostasis and regulating coronary flow. Much of these protective functions are mediated by endothelial NO (nitric oxide). Following an endothelial injury there is a decreased bioactivity of endothelial NO, and depending on the intensity and the duration of the stimuli, it may either contribute to acute vascular events, i.e. spasm, thrombosis, or progress toward atherosclerosis (hardening/clogging of arteries).
Glenn Foley, CEO of Endomatrix noted that: "Provasca's ability to maintain proper endothelial function has become increasingly important as scientists learn more about the role inflammation in cardiovascular disease."
In a German study conducted in last year by Harrison Clinical Research of Munich, Provasca showed noticeable positive effect among healthy, non-symptomatic subjects. Twenty-four subjects were divided into three different groups, receiving different amounts of Provasca (300, 600 and 1200 mg) after six hours of fasting. After seven days, there was a 7 per cent raise in HDL (good cholesterol), a 17 per cent reduction in triglyceride levels and a reduction in blood pressure by an average of 10mmHg, according to the company.
