TIDMPXS
RNS Number : 5752P
Provexis PLC
18 November 2016
18 November 2016
Provexis plc
By-Health Co., Ltd research and development collaboration with
DSM for Fruitflow(R)
Provexis plc ("Provexis" or the "Company"), the business that
develops, licenses and sells the proprietary, scientifically-proven
Fruitflow(R) heart-health functional food ingredient, is pleased to
announce that the Company's Alliance partner for Fruitflow(R), DSM
Nutritional Products ("DSM"), has entered into a strategic
collaboration agreement for Fruitflow(R) with BY-HEALTH Co., Ltd
("BY-HEALTH"), a substantial listed Chinese dietary supplement
business.
The strategic collaboration agreement between DSM and BY-HEALTH
will focus on the development of new products that contribute to
cardiovascular health, to include the establishment of relevant
evaluation and testing procedures to accord with Chinese 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. 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.(1) The Company believes that
Fruitflow(R) has the potential to play an import role in primary
prevention in the Chinese market.
The collaboration agreement was signed at the Guangzhou
International Symposium on Nutrition and Health, which had the
theme 'Nutrition and Chronic Diseases: New Development, New
Challenges'. The Company's lead scientist Dr Niamh O'Kennedy, who
played a key role in the development of Fruitflow(R), gave a
presentation to the Guangzhou International Symposium concerning
the cardiovascular benefits of Fruitflow(R). The Company will
provide scientific and technical support for Fruitflow(R) to DSM
and BY-HEALTH throughout the collaboration.
About Fruitflow(R)
Fruitflow(R) is a patented, scientifically-proven tomato extract
which inhibits platelet aggregation, a known cause of heart attack,
stroke and venous thrombosis. It is a natural product classified as
a food which is easy to digest.
In May 2009 Fruitflow(R) was the first technology to be
substantiated by the European Food Safety Authority ('EFSA') under
the new Article 13(5) for proprietary and emerging science. In
December 2009 the European Commission authorised the health claim
'Helps maintain normal platelet aggregation, which contributes to
healthy blood flow'.
In 8 human trials, consumption of Fruitflow(R) has been proven
to maintain healthy platelet aggregation and improve blood flow. In
the largest single study for Fruitflow(R), 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; further, there are no recorded side
effects from Fruitflow(R).
On 7 September 2016 the Company announced in its preliminary
results for the year ended 31 March 2016 that more than 50 regional
consumer healthcare brands containing Fruitflow(R) have now been
launched by direct customers of DSM, with a number of further
regional brands having been launched through DSM's distributor
channels.
In June 2016 the Company announced the launch of its new
Fruitflow(R) + Omega-3 dietary supplement product, which is
exclusively available through the Company's new e-commerce website
www.fruitflowplus.com, the product also has a Facebook page at
www.facebook.com/FruitflowPlus
About BY-HEALTH
BY-HEALTH Co., Ltd. ("BY-HEALTH") was established in October
1995. In 2002 BY-HEALTH began to supply dietary supplements to the
Chinese indirect sales market. BY-HEALTH has an extensive product
portfolio and offers protein, vitamin, minerals, natural extracts
and many other dietary supplement products. BY-HEALTH was the first
company to win an AAA credit rating in the Chinese healthcare
industry. In December 2010, BY-HEALTH (stock code: 300146) went
public on the ChiNext, GEM board in the Shenzhen Stock Exchange,
and the business is currently valued in excess of GBP2bn. Learn
more about BY-HEALTH and its products at www.by-health.com.
(1) World Health Organisation - Cardiovascular diseases,
China
Dawson Buck, Chairman of Provexis, commented:
"We are delighted to announce this strategic collaboration
agreement between DSM and BY-HEALTH for Fruitflow(R). The Company
will provide scientific and technical support for Fruitflow(R) to
DSM and BY-HEALTH 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.
The collaboration with BY-HEALTH is another strongly positive
development for Fruitflow(R) and the Provexis business."
This announcement contains inside information.
- ends -
For further information please contact:
Provexis plc Tel: 07490 391888
Dawson Buck, Chairman enquiries@provexis.com
Ian Ford, Finance Director
Cenkos Securities plc Tel: 020 7397 8900
Bobbie Hilliam
Notes for editors
About Provexis plc
AIM-listed Provexis is focused on the development and licensing
of its proprietary, scientifically-proven Fruitflow(R) heart-health
functional food ingredient.
In May 2009, the Company's Fruitflow(R) technology was the first
to be substantiated by the European Food Safety Authority ("EFSA")
under the new Article 13(5) for proprietary and emerging science.
In December 2009 the European Commission authorised the health
claim "Helps maintain normal platelet aggregation, which
contributes to healthy blood flow", which was the first wording to
be authorised under Article 13(5).
In June 2010 it was announced that the Company had entered into
a long-term Alliance Agreement with DSM Nutritional Products to
commercialise Fruitflow(R), and in June 2015 the Company confirmed
it had agreed significantly enhanced financial terms for its
Alliance Agreement with DSM for Fruitflow(R).
The Company's Alliance partner DSM Nutritional Products has
developed the market actively for the Company's novel, patented
Fruitflow(R) heart-health ingredient in all global markets, with
over 50 regional consumer healthcare brands now having been
launched by direct customers of DSM, and with a number of further
regional brands having been launched through DSM's distributor
channels.
An increasing number of further commercial projects have been
initiated by DSM with prospective customers, including some
prospective customers which are part of global businesses, with
good prospects for these projects to be launched as consumer
products. Interest in the technology exists in all major global
markets.
In June 2016 the Company launched a high quality dietary
supplement product containing Fruitflow(R) and Omega-3 which is
being sold initially from a separate, dedicated website
www.fruitflowplus.com on a mail order basis.
The Company conducted a Key Opinion Leaders' roundtable event
for Fruitflow(R) in London on 29 September 2016, focussed on
raising awareness of the importance of blood flow in cardiovascular
health, and the effectiveness of dietary antiplatelets. The
roundtable was attended by key scientists from Provexis and DSM,
along with a number of interested health care professionals with
close links to the media. The event was recorded with the intention
of producing two further videos: a video for Fruitflow(R) targeting
prospective trade customers, and a video for Fruitflow(R) + Omega-3
capsules targeting prospective consumers. The video for consumers
can be seen here www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3HCSdyupEY&t=48s
Video content recorded at the event and subsequently will be
used to promote Fruitflow(R) and the Company's Fruitflow(R) +
Omega-3 capsules more widely across key digital and other
mainstream media channels.
The Company and DSM are keen to secure greater medical advocacy
for Fruitflow(R) and the roundtable event forms part of this
strategy. The roundtable event is also being supported by a broader
consumer PR campaign.
The Company is engaged in a two stage collaboration agreement
with the University of Oslo ('the University') to undertake further
research into the relationship between Fruitflow(R) and blood
pressure regulation. The Company is very pleased with the
encouraging results from the first stage of the collaboration with
strong evidence that a standard dose of Fruitflow(R) has the
potential to give a clinically relevant reduction in systolic blood
pressure. The Company and the University expect to be able to
complete a small clinical trial by way of a proof of principle
study in Q4 2016 and the results of the proof of principle study
will be announced as soon as possible thereafter.
Provexis was founded in 1999 and is headquartered in Reading,
Berkshire.
Provexis shares are traded on the AIM market of the London Stock
Exchange under the ticker symbol PXS.
For further information, please visit www.provexis.com
This information is provided by RNS
The company news service from the London Stock Exchange
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(END) Dow Jones Newswires
November 18, 2016 04:46 ET (09:46 GMT)