OmniActive CEO charts eye-brain nexus and women’s health growth

Healthy aging is reshaping the nutraceutical and nutrition industries, as consumers increasingly look for solutions to help them live healthy, active lifestyles for longer. Pramod Thota, CEO of OmniActive Health Technologies, tells Nutrition Insight how this shift creates opportunities in interconnected health areas, from eye health to cognition and women’s health. 

Thota outlines OmniActive Health Technologies’ approach to healthy aging, which he says encompasses many health areas. 

“Your eyes have to be working perfectly, your joints should work the way they should, and your gut health has to be top-notch. You have to have the right amount of sleep, and you should be able to manage your stress levels. If you’re a woman, post-midlife, you’ll have to be able to manage through the menopausal symptoms.”

“All of this together combines into what we call healthy aging. These are the trends that are driving what we do in the industry.”

He says that the company positions its portfolio on a wake-to-sleep cycle through all life stages. “That’s what drives us in how we approach business.”

“Starting in the morning with energy, or if consumers are going to the gym, how can we help them be more productive? Consumers are working long hours in front of a screen, and our Lutemax range is all about vision health. In the evenings, you want to sleep well; again, we have sleep indications.”

Pramod Thota, CEO of OmniActive Health Technologies.Combined with that approach, Thota says that OmniActive Health Technologies looks at ingredients that deliver the right benefits, identifying the right herb or botanical through R&D and building science around it. “We start with anywhere from 100 to 200 starting points and narrow that down to five to 15 to test.”

Eye-brain nexus

Thota notes that cognitive health is another important area for OmniActive Health Technologies. He says that the company started its journey in this health area through vision health, for example, with solutions for macular pigment optical density, such as Lutemax 2020, which contains all three nutritionally relevant macular carotenoids. For dry eyes, the company offers solutions such as Nutritears, a plant-based blend of lutein, zeaxanthin isomers, curcuminoids, and vitamin D3.

“What we have found is a very strong eye-brain nexus. The health of your eyes is directly related to how your brain works,” he details. “That is why, in our latest study on cognition, we’ve shown clear benefits in what Lutemax can offer to consumers — whether it’s somebody who is in their mid-50s or mid-60s, or somebody who’s five years old.”

He adds that the company’s Lutemax can be included in products from prenatal and infant nutrition to teen and senior nutrition. 

According to Thota, the connection between vision and cognition is in the literature and has been known for a while. However, he says that OmniActive Health Technologies was one of the first companies to note that macular carotenoids and cognition have a deep relationship and developed clinical evidence to prove it.

“Carotenoids have been studied for a long time; we’re not the first ones to do it, but we are the first ones to make it mainstream.”

Functional formats

Delivery technologies are key to developing products in a format that consumers can easily fit into their daily lives. At Natural Products Expo West 2026, Sirio launched a soft chew lutein supplement with OmniActive Health Technologies’ Lutemax 2020 extract. At the event, Sirio’s Evelyn Reinson told us that formats to support consumer adherence are key, as eye health depends on long-term consistency.

Thota says that the company found a very strong eye-brain nexus, where eye health is directly related to how the brain works.Thota agrees: “A consumer has to like it to take it, and be disciplined around the regimen, because for so many of us, once a bottle is over, we never go back. We’ll have to play with that.”

He highlights OmniActive Health Technologies’ Ultrasol, a proprietary, patented technology that increases ingredients’ bioavailability.

For example, with this technology, a 250 mg dose of the company’s curcumin-based product Curcuwin Ultra+ is equivalent to 1,000 mg of curcumin in other products on the market, says Thota. This means that consumers can take smaller product formats but have similar benefits.

“Consumers trying to swallow one gram — that’s like swallowing bricks. That’s where I think this technology comes in,” says Thota. “The experience is great for the consumer. The bioavailability and the efficacy take it to a whole other level, and that’s why we’re able to do more with less.”

The company uses it for various ingredients, including its Zenroot ashwagandha extract and Fenavari for women’s health. “We’re also working on an advanced version of that, which hopefully will hit the market soon,” he adds. “We’re excited about this new technology, which will take the Ultrasol platform to a whole other level.”

Global focus

As a global company, OmniActive Health Technologies cannot be “all things to all people in all markets,” says Thota. He says the company focuses on key markets around the world, where it focuses its product development, marketing, and insights — “we have to focus where the value is.”

“Brazil, Latin America, and North America will always be there. And North America will always lead the value part of the business for the foreseeable future. That’s how we look at it,” he details.

In Asia, OmniActive Health Technologies sees Southeast Asian markets as the next frontier after India and China.Within regions and countries, he spots many differences. For example, although he says the US is largely a monolithic market, there are different consumer attitudes and behaviors from the East Coast to the West Coast to the Midwest. Moreover, he notes that those differences get accentuated when leaving the country.

“Europe comprises tens and tens of countries with different regulatory environments and their own complications,” he adds. “Of course, the EU has that overarching framework, but again, once you go into each country, it has its own set of challenges.”

“The same holds true for Asia — and Asia probably is the most complex of all,” says Thota. “We say ‘Asia,’ but it’s 25 countries. Every market and consumer behavior is different. A consumer in Thailand is very different from one in India, and very different from China.”

In Asia, OmniActive Health Technologies focuses on six to seven key countries. Thota expects India to become a significant platform for nutraceuticals and says that China “is already there.” The company sees Southeast Asian markets, such as Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, and the Philippines, as the next frontier after India and China. 

He also spots good pockets of growth in the Middle East. “I think Africa, especially the developing countries in Africa, is the next big stop. I know the consumer brands and ingredient companies are going there. That will be the next big one for us.”

Growth areas

In terms of health benefits, Thota points to women’s health and the eye-gut-brain axis as growth areas.

“Women’s health, including menopausal and premenopausal conditions, has not really been paid attention to in the past,” he believes. “But with half of the world’s population at some point going through that, it’s an indication that we all have to be worried about and be working toward. Women’s health is a big one.”

Ultrasol technology enables the company to boost ingredient bioavailability and ensure consumers can take smaller formats with similar benefits.The company will be launching Fenavari at SupplySide Global 2026. This combination of fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum) and shatavari (Asparagus racemosus) is designed to help support women through normal hormonal changes during perimenopause, menopause, and postmenopause.

A recent randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial with 138 women found improvements in hot flashes, night sweats, sleep, mood, and hormonal markers after 84 days.

Thota explains that Fenavari is not simply a blend of two botanicals, but is extracted through its Integrative Actives platform to synergistically boost the efficacy of these botanicals. This formulation platform combines multiple bioactives into one optimized delivery system to support dosing consistency and smaller pill sizes.

“We’re also seeing a lot of attention around the brain, the eye-gut-brain axis,” he adds. “As vision and cognition are closely related, your gut health and your brain health are also closely related.”

“It goes back to some of the old philosophies that we all had: if you keep your gut straight, everything else will work out,” says Thota. “Now we understand the science behind it. The whole gut and brain axis is a very new and emerging category.”