Brand focus: Here’s our top 10 most-read brand stories of 2021
New safety warnings: BioCeuticals’ ArmaForce bore new labelling after taste-loss complaints
Blackmores’ practitioner-only health supplement brand BioCeuticals replaced the labelling for its botanical-based immunity product ArmaForce, after consumers complained of unknown side-effects such as taste loss.
The new labelling has stated the dosage recommendation for the product, which is one tablet per day for a maximum of two weeks.
ArmaForce with the new labelling was out in the market last Septmber, a BioCeuticals spokeswoman told NutraIngredients-Asia.
International boom: Yiling Pharmaceutical saw overseas revenue soar amid COVID-19 interest in Lianhua Qingwen botanical
Yiling Pharmaceutical, the company behind TCM/dietary supplement product Lianhua Qingwen, said revenue from its overseas market was up 918.37 per cent in FY2020, after the product was officially recognised by the China authorities as a COVID-19 standard therapy for mild symptoms such as fever and cough.
Yiling Pharmaceutical’s growth in the overseas markets last year started from a small base of RMB$29m (US$4.56m) in FY2019.
This grew to RMB$304m (US$46m) last year. Revenue from the overseas markets has been increased to 3.46 per cent of the company’s total revenue.
Flavettes, immunity, beauty and energy: Malaysia Duopharma’s Consumer Healthcare CEO unveiled growth strategies
Duopharma, the Malaysia pharma company behind the vitamin brand Flavettes, outlined its strategies in growing the consumer healthcare business - including expanding the flagship brand across South East Asia and developing new immunity and energy products.
The company established its consumer healthcare division last year, with the aim of further engaging its consumers and retail partners.
The Bursa Malaysia-listed company currently has five dietary supplement brands.
COVID-19 and botanical spray: MGC Pharma on distributing clinically-backed formula in India and South East Asia
MGC Pharma has been working on introducing its product that has shown to speed up recovery in COVID-19 patients, as a natural health or ayurvedic product in several Asian countries, including India, Malaysia, Myanmar, and Thailand.
ArtemiC is an oral spray made up of artemisinin, curcumin, vitamin C, and Boswellia serrata, and could serve as an adjunctive to the standard COVID-19 treatment.
It has been tested on 50 COVID-19 patients in India and Israel.
Longevity hope: Doctor’s Best new NMN product hit US$1m mark in China
A nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN) supplement made by US supplement firm Doctor’s Best hit US$1m sales in the first 10 days of its launch, since it was first launched in China last year.
Over 5,000 bottles have been sold on its Tmall flagship store, its parent company Xiamen Kingdomway Group said.
Following the sold-out of the initial batch of 1,406 bottles, subsequent pre-orders of 3,605 bottles were received within three days between July 16 and 19.
NMN momentum: GNC China launched supplement, clinical trials in progress
GNC China launched its first nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN) supplement last December, after researching and developing the product for a year.
NMN supplements have been highly sought in China since July last year, with brands such as Doctor’s Best, Gene Habour, and EZZ enjoying huge commercial success.
Amid the NMN wave, there has been an influx of products into China.
Halal opportunities: Swisse launched halal-certified supplements in South East Asia
Swisse has launched a halal-certified multivitamin in Singapore and has been planning to launch more of such products in the region, with Malaysia and Indonesia the next go-to markets.
The subsidiary of Hong Kong-listed H&H Group said most of its products were made in accordance with halal standards and it has been working on securing official halal certificates.
At the time of writing, the company has secured two halal-certified products, namely Swisse Ultivite E-Sential Multivitamin and Swisse Ultibiotic Daily Balance Probiotic, after obtaining halal certification from the Halal Certification Authority Australia (HCAA).
‘Supporting immunity, not boosting it’: Renovatio’s latest supplement for immunity and inflammation hit Woolworths’ shelves
Australia-based Renovatio Bioscience has launched a supplement addressing both immunity and inflammation, a perceived ‘gap in the market’, with just four ingredients - activated phenolics, quercetin, zinc and vitamin C.
The maker of An Apple A Day, Renovatio develops supplements with activated phenolics, its patented antioxidant formula developed and extracted from Australian farmed apples.
This launch came after the release of another immunity supplement last year, which contained activated phenolics, vitamin C, zinc and selenium.
India’s large diabetic population presents opportunity for Dr Reddy’s nutritional launch
Indian pharma firm Dr Reddy's Laboratories has made its first foray into the nutritional space in the country with a diabetic drink, Celevida.
The drink is said to help manage blood glucose levels among Indian patients.
Diabetes is a growing challenge in India with 73 million people suffering from diabetes, and 80 million people with pre-diabetes, and the country is expected to have the world’s largest diabetes population by 2035. Changing habits of diet and a sedentary lifestyle have contributed to the rise of diabetes in the growing population.
Healthy Dahi: India’s Milky Mist rolled out probiotic curd with immunity and digestion benefits
India-based dairy company Milky Mist has launched a probiotic curd, also called Dahi, with claims of boosting the immune system and aiding digestion.
It contains the strain Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. Lactis (BB-12) which is supplied by ingredient manufacturer Chr. Hansen.
This is the company’s first foray into probiotic curd. Milky Mist has about 23 product categories and 170SKUs ranging from cheese, yoghurt, to curd.
