Igennus combines EPA and glucosamine for joints
formulation to alleviate joint problems through a combination of
the fatty acid EPA and glucosamine.
Based in Cambridge, the British company says OmegaFlex is based on research that highlights the joint-healing properties of natural fatty acids and glucosamine.
Igennus has formulated EPA without using the other omega-3 fatty acid, DHA, in order to promote a higher bioavailability.
According to the company, using EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) isolated from DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) removes the possibility that these omega-3's will compete with each other for conversion once ingested.
Studies have found EPA has anti-inflammatory effects, while DHA is more often used to support cognitive, cardiovascular and visual functions.
"It's the first time I've seen these two ingredients combined at such high doses," Professor Basant Puri, head of the Lipid Neuroscience Group at Imperial College, London, told NutraIngredients.
In early 2007, Professor Puri is planning to conduct a human clinical trial using OmegaFlex and placebos on approximately 120 arthritis patients.
Igennus sources its EPA from fish oil derived from anchovies in the South Pacific - a body of water the company says is thought to have the least amount of pollutants.
The company extracts EPA from anchovy flesh and not liver, Igennus spokesperson Mina Nazemi told NutraIngredients. The rationale behind not using liver is that it is the site where the most bioaccumulation of pollution occurs, according to Nazemi. As well, the company uses anchovies because they are low on the food chain, which it says further avoids them containing contaminants.
The company says its formulation is international patent-pending and that it is beginning marketing it in the United Kingdom and Europe.
