DSM has commercial responsibility for Fruitflow under an agreement with ingredient-owner Provexis, which said the China link-up would lead to the establishment of evaluation and testing procedures to meet the country’s technical and regulatory standards.
“The development process will target the creation of new products for people who are at risk of cardiovascular disease, particularly to include those over 40 years of age,” Provexis said in a statement to shareholders.
“There are already more than 230m people in China who are thought to have cardiovascular disease, and a significant increase in cardiovascular events is expected in China over the course of the next decade based on population aging and growth alone.
“The company believes that Fruitflow has the potential to play an import role in primary prevention in the Chinese market.”
Fruitflow is a patented tomato extract which inhibits platelet aggregation, a known cause of heart attack, stroke and venous thrombosis.
“In eight human trials, consumption of Fruitflow has been proven to maintain healthy platelet aggregation and improve blood flow,” the company added.
“In the largest single study for Fruitflow, positive effects were observed in 97% of individuals tested. This compares favourably with single-drug therapies such as aspirin which can be ineffective in up to 30% of individuals.”
The China collaboration agreement was signed at the recent Guangzhou International Symposium on Nutrition and Health.
Dawson Buck, Provexis chairman, said the company would provide scientific and technical support for Fruitflow throughout the collaboration.
“The collaboration will focus on the development of new products that contribute to cardiovascular health in China, seeking to address the large and growing issue of cardiovascular health in this substantial market,” he said.
“The collaboration with By-Health is another strongly positive development for Fruitflow and the Provexis business."