Mineral complex SierraSil to launch in Europe
being billed as the next joint health supplement and is set for
launch on the European marketplace next month.
The product, SierraSil, is derived from a naturally occurring mineral deposit discovered in the Sierra mountains in Nevada, US, around 30 years ago. It is now being marketed by Vancouver-based firm SierraSil as a joint health product, after initial studies showed that it improved joint mobility, swelling and pain in knee osteoarthritis.
"Most joint health products, like chondroitin and glucosamine, rebuild cartilage and stop pain in this way," Carol Kriegel, vice president of marketing told NutraIngredients.com.
"But we think that SierraSil inhibits the gene that causes inflammation."
A mechanism of action study has been completed on the ingredient and is to be published in June. The firm has also completed an as yet unpublished clinical trial on 120 people and carried out safety testing.
Distributor Allied Nutraceuticals Ingredients, looking for international partners at Expo Europe in Amsterdam next month, will be positioning the product in a growing category but one that also includes some already well established ingredients with significantly more science behind them, such as glucosamine and chondroitin sulphate.
But the company says the product has some sales-winning advantages over other joint health products.
While some joint support formulas can take up to three months before users notice benefits, SierraSil usually provides noticeable benefits in less than two weeks, it claims.
"We are doing research on why SierraSil works so fast, which is in the peer-review stage and our hope is that this work is published later this year," said Michael Bentley, executive vice president.
SierraSil could also have an advantage over marine-derived joint health ingredients for vegetarian products.
