This week’s top headlines included the comeback of Appethyl spinach extract, Church & Dwight Co. agreeing to sell dietary supplements business to Piping Rock Health Products, and how diversification across the APAC is fueling growth for Australia’s supplements sector.
Appethyl spinach extract makes a comeback
Swedish pharma business Mimer Medical is reviving a forgotten but scientifically backed botanical ingredient and is ready to compete in the thriving GLP-1 agonist market.
Known as Appethyl, it is the brainchild of Lund University professor Charlotte Erlanson-Albertsson and her late husband Per-Åke Albertsson, a professor of biochemistry, who began integrating their expertise in weight management and photosynthesis nearly two decades ago.
The pair developed a spinach extract enriched for thylakoids, the cellular membranes responsible for photosynthesis which are reported to slow fat digestion and thereby increase the body’s production of satiety hormones GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1) and CCK (cholecystokinin). Studies detailing the ingredient’s benefits have been published since 2009.
Swedish company Greenleaf Medical introduced the ingredient to the U.S. market in 2014 after licensing technology from Lund University, but its 2021 EFSA application for a weight management health claim was denied in 2023 due to insufficient scientific evidence, despite meeting technical requirements.
That rejection, combined with the pandemic and the sudden death of a key investor, led to Greenleaf’s bankruptcy and the ingredient’s disappearance from the market. Later, Mimer Medical discovered the ingredient by chance, and Janson purchased all related intellectual property, and quickly assembled a team—including the original inventor, Professor Charlotte Erlanson-Albertsson—to revive the project.
The team filed an application for a new health claim to EFSA in September this year, this time focusing on the prolonged satiety and reduced cravings as opposed to weight loss, with these specific benefits backed by five clinical trials.
Church & Dwight to divest its supplement brands
Church & Dwight Co., best known for its Arm & Hammer brand, has reached a definitive agreement to sell its vitamin, minerals and supplement (VMS) business to Piping Rock Health Products.
The agreement includes the VitaFusion and L’il Critters brands, relevant trademarks and licenses, and the company’s manufacturing and distribution facilities in Vancouver and Ridgefield, Washington.
“We believe Piping Rock, a company with deep experience in the vitamin business, will be a successful steward for VitaFusion and L’il Critters,” Rick Dierker, chief executive officer at Church & Dwight, shared in a press release. “We want to thank all of our dedicated VMS employees for their commitment and contributions to these brands. For the majority who will become Piping Rock employees, we will be watching from the sidelines and wishing you much success.”
He added that the sale immediately strengthens the company’s portfolio and enables it to focus on its remaining power brands to drive growth initiatives. Personal care, household and specialty products brands in the portfolio include Arm & Hammer, Trojan, Oxiclean, Spinbrush, First Response, Nair, Orajel, Xtra, Batiste, Waterpik, Zicam, Therabreath, Hero and Touchland.
How Aussie supplements sector is booming beyond China
Diversification across the Asia-Pacific region is gathering pace and fueling growth for Australia’s supplements sector, according to new data.
The Australian industry’s export success over the past decade has largely been driven by trade with China. Total exports are now valued at $1.02 billion.
Today, China (including Hong Kong) continues to dominate as the largest export destination, accounting for $690 million, or 68%of total exports.
However, diversification is gathering pace, with Vietnam strengthening its position as the second-largest market ($86 million, 8%), followed by New Zealand ($49 million, 3%), South Korea ($32 million, 3%) and Thailand ($31 million, 3%).
The data was revealed in trade body Complementary Medicine Australia’s (CMA) 2025 Industry Snapshot, which was launched at its recent annual summit.
