Ålesund, Norway, 8th December 2020
Hofseth BioCare (“HBC”) is delighted to announce it has signed a
comprehensive exclusive distribution contract with DKSH for HBC’s
marine branded products. The agreement covers ten territories
across Asia including Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, Malaysia,
Vietnam, China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan and India. DKSH will also have
the right to sell “white labelled” finished products across the
territories on a non-exclusive basis.
The distribution contract with DKSH follows soon after the
granting of a unique set of label claims for ProGo® in North
America, centred around the prevention of iron deficiency anaemia.
Bioactive Peptides™ are in the unique position of being the first
and only non-iron containing product in the US market to maintain
healthy levels of ferritin and haemoglobin. It is also part of a
strategy to empower global leading distributors to lever the HBC
science and unique ingredients to penetrate the business to
business segment on a worldwide basis.
“We believe there is a vast opportunity for our products in Asia
given that the regional palate is typically very predisposed to
eating fish and fish-derived products. Countries such as Malaysia
and Indonesia have amongst the highest consumption of fish per
capita in the world. It is no co-incidence that these countries
have very low levels of heart disease and asthma, where our
products unsurprisingly show significant health benefits too.
Furthermore, our Bioactive peptides will be a better alternative
for millions of people who struggle with negative side effects or
poor effect of traditional iron supplementation,” says Crawford
Currie, Head of Medical R&D, in Hofseth BioCare.
This distribution agreement now provides HBC with a truly global
access for the delivery of its nutritional and nutraceutical grade
products. DKSH’s activity is the market expansion, marketing and
distribution of human & pharma grade raw materials through
extensive local networks, market intelligence and formulation
expertise. DKSH has the know-how to create unique recipes locally
in a truly unparalleled way such as their UHT pilot plant which can
leverage product development to benefit of HBC and their customer
base.
The products included in the distribution agreement are:
a. ProGo® Nutrition - Salmon Protein
Hydrolysate; a soluble peptide powder derived from the hydrolysis
of the protein fraction of salmon off-cuts. The powder contains
more than 97% hydrolysed protein, suitable for sports, endurance
and recovery nutrition and can be used in powder formulations,
bars, drinks and tablets.
b. CollaGo® Collagen Peptides: A
soluble Type I & III Collagen Peptide powder to help support
healthy skin, muscles and arteries. Recent studies have shown its
benefit for beauty enhancement including hair, skin and nails as
well increasing energy and wellbeing.
c. CalGo® Collagenic Hydroxyapatite:
a collagen calcium powder containing 24% Type II Collagen, 19%
calcium hydroxyapatite and 9% elemental Phosphorus to support bone
and joint health. It can be used as tablets, powders and other
formats.
d. OmeGo® Unrefined Salmon Oil
containing all the elements present in whole salmon: Omega 3 (EPA,
DHA and DPA), Omegas 5, 6, 7, 9 & 11, natural antioxidants and
no added antioxidants with 4 years shelf life. It provides broad
antioxidant and anti- inflammatory effects and is beneficial for
maintaining healthy cholesterol and cardiovascular function. HBC
has identified a non-Omega fraction in the oil that attenuates
eosinophil effector function. Preclinical work in asthma is
ongoing. The oil can be formulated in soft gel caps and other
formats.
* “supports healthy ferritin and haemoglobin levels”, “helps
maintain iron-rich blood”, “promotes energy utilization”, “supports
red blood cell production”, “supports gastrointestinal and immune
system health”, “assists in iron absorption from your daily diet”
**“helps maintain healthy levels of ferritin and haemoglobin”,
“helps maintain healthy levels of blood components required for
oxygen transport”, “provides antioxidants for the maintenance of
good health” and “helps promote healthy skin”
The HBC product range is non-GMO, antibiotic-free with steam the
only by-product of the manufacturing process.
Thomas Sul, Co-Head Business Unit Performance Materials and
Member of DKSH's Executive Committee comments: “The new partnership
with HBC is a great match. DKSH gets access to the innovative,
sustainable and science-based product range of Hofseth BioCare and
they in turn access to our established customer base, our network
of innovation centers and our in-depth industry knowledge. We are
looking forward to a successful partnership with HBC.”
“This is tremendous agreement for HBC and for the long-term
growth of our business as we enter a partnership with one world’s
longest established nutraceutical and pharmaceutical distributors
across Asia for ingredients and finished products. We take
confidence from the fact that multiple DKSH business units across
Asia see strong appetite for our unique marine derived offering.
The Asian market is a natural fit us given their natural enjoyment
for fish. Also, yet again this collaboration pays testament to the
investments in R&D and science the company has made in the last
15 years in that we have “something different” to offer consumers.
We are now represented globally across all continents for B2B
distribution. The recently approved health claims for ProGo have
grabbed the attention of leading players very quickly. DKSH has the
infrastructure and know-how to passport those claims into each
country in the region efficiently. As the most dominant player in
Asia, we are privileged to work with them also in their geographic
area of strength,” says CEO Roger Hofseth at Hofseth BioCare
ASA.
About Hofseth BioCare ASA:
HBC is a Norwegian biotech company that develops high-value
ingredients and finished products currently targeting the consumer
health market. Research is ongoing to identify the individual
elements within the products that modulate inflammation and the
immune response with pre-clinical studies in multiple clinics and
university research labs in several countries. Lead clinical and
pre-clinical candidates are in development for the protection of
the Gastro-Intestinal (GI) system against inflammation, including
ulcerative colitis and the orphan condition necrotising
enterocolitis, as a Medical Food to help treat age-related
Sarcopenia, and as a treatment for Iron Deficiency Anemia, all
using peptide fractions of Salmon Protein Hydrolysate. Preclinical
trial work with the oil is ongoing to ameliorate lung inflammation
in eosinophilic asthma and COPD (“smokers lung”) as well as
clinical work in COVID.
The company is founded on the core values of sustainability,
traceability and optimal utilization of natural resources. Through
an innovative hydrolysis technology, HBC can preserve the quality
of lipids, proteins and collagen-calcium from fresh salmon
off-cuts. Hofseth BioCare's headquarters are in Ålesund, Norway
with branches in Oslo, London, Zürich, Chicago, Menlo Park and
Tokyo.
HBC is listed on Euronext Expand Oslo with ticker "HBC". More
information about Hofseth BioCare at hofsethbiocare.com and
facebook.com/hofsethbiocare
About DKSH:
DKSH is the leading Market Expansion Services provider with a
focus on Asia. The Group helps companies to grow across the
Business Units Healthcare, Consumer Goods, Performance Materials
and Technology. The service portfolio covers sourcing, market
insights, marketing and sales, eCommerce, distribution and
logistics as well as after-sales services. Publicly listed on the
SIX Swiss Exchange, the Group operates in 36 markets with 33,350
specialists, generating net sales of CHF 11.6 billion in 2019. With
its Swiss heritage, DKSH has been deeply rooted in Asia Pacific
since 1865. The DKSH Business Unit Performance Materials
distributes specialty chemicals and ingredients for food,
pharmaceutical, personal care and various industrial applications.
With 46 innovation centers and regulatory support worldwide, we
create cutting-edge formulations that comply with local
regulations. With around 1,100 specialists, the Business Unit
generated net sales of CHF 1.0 billion in 2019.
This information is subject to the disclosure requirements
pursuant to Section 5-12 of the Norwegian Securities Trading
Act