Kyowa Hakko launches paraprobiotic for US immune support

30 Sep 2020 --- Kyowa Hakko Bio – a Kirin Holdings subsidiary – has launched a novel dietary supplement ingredient to deliver broad-range immune support to US consumers. Immuse contains a patented strain of Lactococcus lactis plasma, which is characterized as a heat-killed lactic acid bacteria – also known as a paraprobiotic.

According to the company, the paraprobiotic activates the immune system and this has been supported by ten human trials.

“Immuse works through a unique mode of action to activate plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs), which are the ‘commander-and-chief’ within the immune system,” Elyse Lovett, senior marketing manager at Kyowa Hakko USA, tells NutritionInsight. 

By activating pDCs, Immuse provides more comprehensive immune support than conventional lactic acid bacteria, she adds. A series of safety data including in vitro, in vivo and in human have been collected.

Diverse applications
Immuse is stable in a wide variety of applications, including tablets, capsules and gummy formulations. 

It is already on the market as a finished product in Japan and is sold as gummies, tablets, yogurt and functional beverages.

Those products were registered with the Consumer Affairs Agency of the Japanese government as a “Food with Function Claims.” The products with Immuse will be the first and only products in Japan to display an immune-related function on the product.Immune health claims were already on the rise prior to the COVID-19 outbreak.

Immunity demands proliferate
According to Kyowa Hakko, sales in the US dietary supplement market are valued at over US$1.52 billion, with immune system products in high demand. 

“With more consumers looking for ways to enhance their immune system and stay healthy throughout the year, we are confident that Immuse will open new doors for consumers desiring a novel option for brand range immune support,” says Lovett. 

In July, research revealed that French and Italian immunity habits had both been impacted by the ongoing pandemic. 

Meanwhile, an Innova Market Insights consumer survey conducted in late March found there has been a particularly strong uplift in the consumption of products that boost immunity in Asia and South America. 

Over 70 percent of Indian and Indonesian consumers are eating or drinking more products that boost their immune system, in comparison to nearly 40 percent of US consumers. Meanwhile, German and Dutch consumers have seen the lowest shift to health. 

However, immune health claims were already on the rise prior to the COVID-19 outbreak, with new launches seeing average annual growth of 15 percent between 2015 and 2019. 

The market researcher notes that vitamins are the leading ingredients in this space, with C, B6, A, B9 and B12 being the most frequently featured components. However, selenium is growing quickly, with the nutrient having 34 percent average annual growth in new launches tracked with an immune health claim. 

By Katherine Durrell