First global probiotic health claim granted to Chr. Hansen in Korea
Global bioscience and ingredients company Chr. Hansen has had its probiotic health claim for its product Urex approved in Korea. Urex is a dietary supplement that Chr. Hansen said “can help maintain a normal vaginal microbiota”.
Urex, which contains Chr. Hansen’s Probio-Tec strains named RC-14 and GR-1, was reviewed and approved by the Korean Ministry of Food & Drug Safety (MFDS) and Korean customers may now use the health claim “Urex can help vaginal health by increasing lactic acid bacteria” on product packaging and in promotion material.
Chr. Hansen is a global bioscience company that develops natural ingredient solutions for the food, nutritional, pharmaceutical and agricultural industries. The products include cultures, enzymes, probiotics and natural colors. All solutions are based on Chr. Hansen’s research and development competencies coupled with significant technology investments. Revenue for the Company in the 2012/13 financial year was EUR 738 million. The Company holds a leading market position in all its divisions: Cultures and Enzymes, Health and Nutrition and Natural Colors. It has more than 2,500 dedicated employees in over 30 countries and main production facilities in Denmark, France, USA and Germany. Chr. Hansen was founded in 1874 and is listed on NASDAQ OMX Copenhagen.
First and only health claim
Lasse Nagell, Chr. Hansen’s Sales and Marketing Vice President, Human Health and Nutrition, said Urex was the “first and only product with an approved health claim within vaginal health in Korea”, which was an important growth market in Chr. Hansen’s Asia-Pacific region.
“This is exceptionally good news to our customers in the Korean market,” Mr Nagell said. “The Korean MFDS’s health claim approval has already generated many inquiries from prospects and we expect it to drive growth in our sales of Urex in Korea and in Asia-Pacific in general,” he said.
Regulatory tailwind
Chr. Hansen said the approval of the Urex health claim application in Korea was also “very encouraging” from a regulatory point of view.
“Chr. Hansen is spending significant resources on securing official validation of the scientific documentation behind our probiotics these years,” said Charlotte Hemmingsen, Senior Manager, Human Health and Nutrition Product Registration and Documentation. “The Korean MFDS’s recognition of the documented health benefits of RC-14 and GR-1 works as motivational tailwind in this process. We have been working on the dossier since mid-2013 and it was submitted in January 2014,” she said.
