OptiPure brand Chemco Industries and Soft Gel Technologies, Inc., Los Angeles, CA, are two distinct businesses with the same objective: to provide value-added products and services to the supplement and functional food industries. As for their differences, OptiPure focuses on raw materials, while Soft Gel concentrates on building delivery systems that enable ingredients to work more effectively. As a full service contract manufacturer, Soft Gel dedicates itself to the production and marketing of branded products and turnkey custom formulations. And it specializes in materials that are difficult to encapsulate. Underlining the im-portance of value was Kenn Israel, director of marketing. “We pay at-tention to product offerings where we can deliver value. More specifically, we concentrate on raw materials that are difficult to work with or on areas where we can deliver a significant improvement in bioavailability.”

Speaking of challenges, how will both Soft Gel and OptiPure handle the impending GMPs? Mr. Israel says they are more than ready. “I am going to be quite frank: our customers have been demanding standards that exceed the rigors of the proposed GMPs for some time. So we are already playing at a more rigorous level,” he said. “For the rest of the industry, I think the final GMPs will be fantastic in that finally we will be able to authoritatively crush the myth that this is not a regulated industry. Hopefully over time with good federal enforcement some of the less than reputable operators in this industry will be pushed outside of the game.”

As for the latest developments, three new formulations, Suppressia, GlucoHelp and Posinol, are set to make their debut in the supplement market. In the area of appetite suppression, Suppressia will be launched in coordination with Lipid Nutrition, Channahon, IL. Ac- cording to Mr. Israel, the product contains a pine nut-based lipid and a hoodia concentrate that has no stimulant effects and works through various metabolic pathways to modulate appetite.

The second new product, GlucoHelp, is an extension of an already existing product called GlucoTrim, which contains banaba leaf extract. The difference with GlucoHelp is that it contains a higher amount of corosolic acid compared to its predecessor. “This is an 18% corosolic acid product, which is the strongest banaba extract on the market,” Mr. Israel said. “It is covered by existing patents and is currently undergoing clinical investigation. The product is ideal for those suffering from the ill effects of metabolic syndrome or struggling with issues surrounding insulin resistance.”

Another product likely to get a lot of attention in 2006 is Posinol. It is an extract formulated from the leaves of Apocynum venetum L., which is a wild plant that grows in Asia. Posinol contains no less than 4% of the flavonoid glycosides isoquercitrin and hyperoside. According to the company, hyperoside is known to be most efficacious in mental relaxation and reducing blood pressure. Mr. Israel also claims that the product has a good foundation of evidence relating to its effects on depression and anxiety, including animal data, case reports, a long history of use and an ongoing clinical trial.

As for the current state of the industry, Mr. Israel has seen an upturn in sales this year. He also believes the industry has become a lot more competitive with regard to the globalization of supply chains. “There are new supply opportunities coming from China, India and
other points in the Far East on a daily basis and the quality is really improving,” he said. “I think this will have a positive impact on the industry in the long-term.”

Mr. Israel also feels there has been an attitude change toward dietary supplements among consumers and medical professionals. “I think this is happening because of the industry’s renewed focus on doing quality research. Clinical trials and clinical experience matched with nutritional products and botanicals is going to pave a really nice path for growth in the future,” he commented. “The recent activities of the pharmaceutical industry have also helped this industry because its credibility went from unimpeachable to highly eroded over the last five to 10 years. I just don’t believe people get a ‘warm’ feeling when they think about ‘big pharma’ anymore.” -R.W.

OptiPure/Soft Gel Technologies
6982 Bandini Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA
Telephone: 323-726-0700
Fax: 323-726-7065
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.soft-gel.com;
www.optipure.com