NattoPharma enters Chinese market with new MenaQ7 launch

30 Nov 2017 --- NattoPharma has participated in a launching conference commemorating the first product introduced in China featuring MenaQ7 Vitamin K2 as MK-7. During the event, FishBurg, a Chinese dietary supplement producer in the calcium/vitamin D3 (VD3) segment, signed a partnership and supply agreement with NattoPharma and officially launched its new Blue Hat-registered calcium/VD3/MenaQ7 Vitamin K2 supplement for bone health to the Chinese market.

The event was attended by 150 distributors from all across China who will promote the new FishBurg product via pharmacies and other Chinese dietary supplement channels. During the event, FishBurg, NattoPharma and the Norwegian council made presentations that marked the start of the important partnership and entry into the Chinese market.

The event culminated with the signing of the strategic partnership and supply agreement between FishBurg and NattoPharma. There was then a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

“With a population of 1.4 billion – particularly with the middle class somewhere in the neighborhood of 400 million – China represents significant market opportunity,” Daniel Rosenbaum, CEO of NattoPharma, tells NutritionInsight. “The importance of bone and cardiovascular health is a global concern, and a growing concern in China. As awareness of how Vitamin K2, and specifically MenaQ7 Vitamin K2 as MK-7, increases, it is clear we can play an important role in improving health of Chinese people.”

“The product launch is a clear indication of the commitment from both parties,” says Rosenbaum. “The event created excitement around MenaQ7 Vitamin K2, which has amazing market potential in China.”

Addressing the Chinese market’s challenges, Rosenbaum notes that NattoPharma is not competing directly with Chinese Medicine (TCM): “There is a long tradition of alternative therapies, including supplements and TCM, to improve health and wellness, so we see our efforts as complementary.”

“There is a fairly rigorous registration process in China, so as a company with strong clinical foundation for our high-quality material, this helps to distinguish us in the Chinese market,” Rosenbaum adds. “For example, it was clear with the FishBurg launch that our clinical data and continued commitment to clinical research were important factors for this outstanding company choosing us as their partner.”

The launch event was hosted by NattoPharma’s Chinese distributor partner Prochin, one of the first foreign enterprises set up in the Shanghai Free Trade Zone, focused on Food Ingredients, and one of China’s importers of dairy-based specialty ingredients. According to Jordan Yang, the commercial director of Prochin, distributors were excited to learn about MenaQ7’s arrival in China.

“FishBurg is quite confident that the newly launched calcium/VD3/MenaQ7 Vitamin K2 product will have a very impressive impact on the Chinese nutritional market, bringing the benefits of bone and cardiovascular health to all customers,” says Youwen Chen, the CEO of FishBurg.

“Not only does NattoPharma actively engage the media to help spread the word about the benefits of Vitamin K2, but we work hand-in-hand with our partners to help educate their specific markets and customers” Rosenberg adds. “For example, our Chief Medical Officer has just completed a tour through different countries in southeast Asia talking to practitioners and brand owners.”

In other recent news about NattoPharma’s MenaQ7 Vitamin K2, researchers have discovered that it could be a novel therapeutic target for calcific aortic valve stenosis (CAVS). NattoPharma has also successfully secured patents in Israel, the US and Australia for its “nature-identical synthesis” creating MenaQ7 PharmaPure Vitamin K2 as MK-7, adding further to the company’s patent portfolio.