Vitamin sprays enter new markets
preferred method of delivery for vitamins and nutrients, claims a
US company that has developed a range of patented vitamin and
mineral sprays.
Rhode Island-based Micro Laboratories this week signed a deal with Australian firm Namu Global for the exclusive distribution of its sublingual vitamins in the Australian and Korean markets.
The products are sprayed under the tongue and absorbed directly into the blood stream bypassing the gastrointestinal tract altogether, according to the company. The delivery system is also said to provide the consumer with a nutrient retention rate of approximately 90 per cent, and the highest absorption rate of all currently available methods of ingesting nutrients.
"This will certainly be the preferred method of ingesting vitamins and nutrients and will revolutionise the market and meet the rising demands both here and abroad well into the 21st century," said Robert Thistle, from Micro Laboratories.
Novel delivery methods make a product stand out, particularly in the traditional vitamins market. Other forms increasingly used in recent years include chewable vitamins, 'strips' that dissolve on the tongue, gum and sweets. However maintaining bioavailability is important in order for a novel product to compete with those already on the market.
Liquid delivery not only offers quicker absorption via mucous membranes in the mouth to the bloodstream but also gets around the problems many people still have in swallowing pills.
The pharmaceutical industry is also working on lingual spray drug delivery technology but so far there are few drugs available in this form. A nasal spray for the treatment of vitamin B-12 deficiency has been developed and is pending FDA approval.
