Finished nutritional supplements should come with clinical evidence – not just ingredients, says PharmaLinea exec

16 Sep 2019 --- Awareness of the importance of clinical evidence for new products is rising as pharmaceutical companies move toward nutraceuticals and consumer demand for quality products becomes more pronounced. NutritionInsight speaks with PharmaLinea’s Chairman and Founder, Blaž Gorjup, about how the private label food supplement provider sets itself apart in the market by conducting its own clinical substantiation of supplements – an act that is rare, if not non-existent, for a private label provider. However, he notes that the future market landscape could mean clinical substantiation of finished products will become a necessity for companies from all backgrounds, not only pharmaceutical.

“There is a growing number of companies out there – food supplement and increasingly pharmaceutical – with a focus on quality and clinical support, but lacking the expertise either in food supplements generally or in specific product forms. PharmaLinea provides clinically substantiated efficacy of products, which is key for our clients who work through medical detailing and whose brand image is strong,” Gorjup explains.

The profile of consumers is shifting. Innova Market Insights noted that in the Asian market, seven out of ten Chinese consumers check front-of-pack claims and logos.Although ingredient manufacturers are increasingly investing in clinical studies to substantiate their ingredients’ benefits on health and to differentiate their product on the market, it is less common for finished products to be put forward with clinical evidence.

A large portion of the nutraceutical market still consists of commodities, relying on bibliographical data or historic use for proof of efficacy, Gorjup says. Understandably so, since there was no pressure forcing supplement manufacturers into clinical substantiation. 

However, Gorjup wonders if the space will start to see a rapid change where, to avoid being pushed into price competition, clinical substantiation of finished products will become a necessity.

Indeed, a shifting consumer profile means that old practices may not suffice in the new market. 

“While the movement can be observed globally, consumer perception of food supplements differs market-to-market. This especially affects the private label business, where the traditional practice of developing general products for clients in any given market will not suffice in the long run. Products must be developed based on specific client and market needs to fit mindful consumers and succeed in their environment,” Gorjup notes. 

“One of the matters where we see a big improvement in new product development is that more attention is given to consumers’ actual needs and pains, rather than pushing forward products while counting on pure market strength.”

Regarding these consumer-specific concerns, Innova Market Insights noted that in the Asian market, seven out of ten Chinese consumers check front-of-pack claims and logos. This denotes an Asian consumer who is more aware than ever of the ingredients and claims on labels and is particularly driven by food safety concerns.

“Ingredients with a long history of use but without an apparent advantage, or commodity sources that have been biased by adulterations don’t fit today’s consumers as they did in the past,” Gorjup highlights. Will the clinical substantiation of finished products will become a necessity?

Anemia and immunity are high-interest areas
In the current  market, a large number of health areas can offer supplements to fill nutritional gaps. This, however, has both benefits and drawbacks. One such drawback is that areas can become filled with too many products that lack clinical substantiation. 

Gorjup highlights immunity as a space attracting the attention of PharmaLinea. “In immunity, the area is filled with ‘me-too’ products and there is too much noise. Therefore, clinical substantiation on the highest level is one of the few remaining areas of differentiation, especially for preventive products to convince consumers.”

“Immunity is also one of the areas where clinical studies fail in an important aspect – accounting for the variability of different cold and flu seasons. The study on our children’s syrup should be setting new standards in the industry. It is an ongoing multi-seasonal and multi-centric study with over 200 subjects that will give us objective results without any influence of the specific time and location.”

Iron deficiency is a further area that warrants attention as it’s a serious reason for supplementation and most often bypasses official doctor or pharmacist recommendations.

PharmaLinea’s Chairman and Founder, Blaž Gorjup.“It is vital for our iron products to not only solve the common issues of side effects and poor absorption, but also to convince both professionals and demanding consumers. With an ongoing clinical trial on our liquid iron product, we are aiming to give our clients the ability to support their marketing with solid clinical proof,” he explains.

A quality gap can also exist for clinical trials, Gorjup notes. “We choose to go for the highest quality possible: double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized, multi-centric, multi-seasonal, with plenty of subjects and with quality data analysis.”

Where is R&D investment going?
Gorjup shares that immunity and anemia will continue to be areas that attract funds, but more generally, the most important segment is expanding the areas of clinical studies.

“Aside from immunity and iron deficiency, we plan to cover several other important indications in future years. We are also focusing much of our efforts in the taste of our liquid products. It is already our expertise, but we plan to keep developing it as great taste is showing to be a characteristic considered mandatory by consumers.” 

“Lastly, the understanding of finished product stability and cross-interactions of ingredients within finished products is an issue we cannot stress enough, and we are investing our R&D resources in it accordingly. It all works towards delivering a great user-experience with proven benefits and proven value of each product on the shelf.”

By Laxmi Haigh