Positive test results for NKO

Canadian firm Neptune Technologies & Bioressources said it had received positive results from recent clinical trials of its Neptune Krill Oil (NKO) product and that it had made an international patent request for certain applications of the oil.

Neptune said that the results of the preliminary pilot study showed a significant reduction (15 per cent) of blood cholesterol among patients who took a daily dose of NKO without changing their eating habits during a two month period. Several female patients suffering from premenstrual syndrome symptoms, as well as patients with arthritis reported significant improvement of their symptoms, the company claimed.

Neptune already has seven US patents for NKO, but has now filed a request for an international patent covering the use of NKO as a potential treatment for cardiovascular disease, hyperglycaemia, premenstrual syndrome, skin cancer, facial wrinkles and transdermal transport.

Dr Tina Sampalis, vice-president of research at Neptune Technologies & Bioressources, said: "Neptune has invested and continues to invest in human and financial resources in order to produce and validate krill oil NKO as a unique product with several beneficial properties for certain human conditions. Favourable preliminary results allow us to move ahead towards an international patent demand which will open new horizons of possibilities for Neptune. These results confirm the orientation of our clinical research studies to be conducted to confirm the validation of our hypotheses on the benefits of our krill oil NKO in order to meet the expectation of our potential clients."​

Neptune Technologies & Bioressources​ exploits extraction processes for marine biomasses such as krill and other underexploited marine resources such as red crab and calanus, in order to offer its products to the nutraceutical, cosmetic, cosmeceutical and biopharmaceutical markets.