bioNutrition

Avesthagen is devoted to the research, manufacture and marketing of quality natural ingredients exclusively derived from traditional Indian medicine. Our ingredients have scientifically validated health benefits to promote wellness through prevention of specific degenerative conditions - diabetes, obesity, metabolic syndrome and bone loss.

We strongly believe that technology is the way to reinvent the immense knowledge base of traditional medicine resulting in quality ingredients that add to taste and health needs.

Traditional systems of Indian medicine such as Ayurveda promote the art of healthy living by applying self-knowledge and self-care. The word, Ayurveda, in the ancient Indian language, Sanskrit, literally means "Knowledge of Life". Inherent in Ayurvedic principles is the concept that one is capable of taking charge of life and healing through proximity to nature. Avesthagen has established a wide network of access to sources of traditional Indian medicine that is used as a basis for the discovery and development of novel health ingredients.

From our solid base of research & innovation, we have evolved to offer to our customers a whole array of services that include: product concept design, product co-development, optimization of organoleptic characteristics, scientific validation in peer-reviewed publications, design and management of clinical studies and marketing support to health professionals.

Our goal is to incorporate great-tasting, life-enhancing natural ingredients into the world's everyday food menu. Avesthagen combines nature, tradition and technology to create quality ingredients that meet consumer’s needs for:

• Great taste

• Better nutrition and disease prevention

• Cost effectiveness

• Environmental sustainability

Products 

In 2005-2006, Avesthagen has developed multiple scientifically validated ingredients and products to promote wellness through prevention of specific degenerative conditions - diabetes, obesity, metabolic syndrome, and bone loss, each of the diseases has a large market both for treatment and prevention.

The Development Cycle at Avesthagen 

Avesthagen specializes in the discovery, development and marketing of quality ingredients aimed at degenerative conditions that combine nature, tradition and technology.

In addition to a well-defined development cycle, Avesthagen also offers the following technology advantages as part of its "Natural Products" platform:

ADePt^TM  

ADePt^TM is a proprietary Indian medicinal plant resource developed by Avesthagen that contains 3 complimentary data streams:

• Over 3000 formulations described in traditional medicine compendia like Ayurveda, Unani or Siddha compendia classified by disease states. The formulations consist primarily of one or more herbs. They have been developed empirically over several thousand years, and there is demonstrated evidence that several of them have passed extensive pre-clinical and clinical validation. This is primary source for lead selection.

• Listing of more than 2500 medicinal plants, and extensive information about their ethno botanical uses, and pharmacognosy related information. This is used for adding validity to selected leads.

• Listing of the structure of molecules and profiles of more than 15,000 compounds common to plants reported to have biological activity across disease states. It is combined with a proprietary molecular profiling technology called MetaGrid^TM. It also contains additional biological and chemical analysis of the potential leads.

Etiology-based Cell-assays  

A series of cell-free (enzymatic) and cell-based assays are conducted to screen and validate natural extracts specific to various etiologies within a medical condition. The assays are classified into two groups - outcome oriented and mechanistic. The assays, now standardized for variations within natural extracts, have proved invaluable as an indicator of bioactivity; in elucidating potential mode of action; and helping in better planning of in-vivo and human trials for efficacy. 

MetaGrid^TM  

MetaGrid^TM is a proprietary comparative metabolite analysis tool for fingerprinting of phytoextracts. It enables us to track up to 250 metabolites across different varieties, batches and extracts of a particular botanical. The result is better reproducibility of extracts and a more exacting tool for quality control at the manufacturing level than is currently available.

Solvent-free Extraction

Supercritical fluids extraction (SFE) is increasingly replacing organic solvents due to regulatory and environmental pressures on ozone-depleting emissions. SFE processes have eliminated the use of hexane and methylene chloride as solvents. With increasing scrutiny of solvent residues in pharmaceuticals, medical products, and nutraceuticals, and with stricter regulations on VOC and ODC emissions, the use of SFE is rapidly proliferating in natural extracts. Avesthagen has built competency to develop and implement supercritical CO₂ extraction from lab to commercial scale to ensure "solvent-free" ingredients. The following are the advantages of SFE to our customers:

• No solvent residues. For industrial processes involving food or pharmaceuticals this is a big plus.

• SCF derived extracts are regarded as "nature identical".

• Retains biological activity and allows minimal product degradation, particularly for products such as polyunsaturated oils and complex lipids.

Supporting our Partners

• Discovery and validation of natural ingredients for health benefits.

• Optimization of organoleptics and physical characteristics to exactly fit YOUR food product.

• Support product and concept design.

• Extensive safety studies and analysis for potential contaminants.

• Execution of well-designed clinical studies to demonstrate benefit.

• Solvent free manufacturing process for supply of ingredients.

• Marketing support to health professional.

Avesthagen focuses on generating novel nutraceutical products through application of its integrated technology platform on the converging food and pharmaceutical sectors. The program is developing medicinal plant based solutions for chronic degenerative conditions such as diabetes, obesity, osteoporosis, etc. where no effective treatment currently exists. Avesthagen plans to bring to market over the next few years a range branded therapeutic nutritional compounds with supporting clinically validation.

Disease Background and Unmet Needs

Diabetes

It is estimated that there are about a 135 million cases of diabetes in the world today. Recent studies indicate that this number could astonishingly rise to 300 million by 2025. Worldwide sales of anti-diabetic drugs have reached $9 billion. Type 2 diabetes, which is Avesthagen's specific interest in this area accounts for almost 90% of the cases and is rising, with the risk of developing the disease increasing with age. The greatest increase in the diabetic population worldwide is projected for India at 195%. With the rising numbers of diabetes sufferers worldwide, the market for diabetes medications could exceed $20 billion by 2006.

Obesity

Over the past three decades, the prevalence of obesity has risen to epidemic proportions in the United States and Europe. Despite public health efforts, no marked shift towards healthier lifestyles is likely over the next ten years rather, the health problems of obese and overweight people are expected to increase. The number of obese adults in the 7 major markets (US, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, UK and Japan) is expected to grow from 95 million in 2000 to 139 million in 2010. Less than 25% of potential patients are formally diagnosed as obese, and less than 20% of those who are diagnosed are treated with pharmacological therapies. The modest efficacy of the available pharmacological therapies led by sibutramine (Knoll's Meridia, AstraZeneca/Eisai's Reductil) and orlistat (Roche's Xenical) contributes to the small percentage of drug-treated patients: available therapies achieve only an average 5-10% loss of initial body weight in less than 50% of patients.

Bone Loss

About 40 million people in the USA alone suffer from conditions related to bone loss and rheumatoid arthritis. The combined market for pharmaceutical and nutritional products aimed at these conditions exceeds $15 billion. Disease in which bone loss is observed includes malignant bone disease, arthritis - rheumatoid ($1–3 billion) and osteoarthritis ($8 billion) and osteoporosis ($5 billion). Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic inflammatory disease characterized by focal regions of subchondral osteoclastic bone resorption. Osteoporosis is characterized by a reduction in bone mass and deterioration in bone architecture. The most common cause of osteoporosis in women is loss of estrogen, which occurs at menopause.

In the highly competitive environment of contemporary pharmaceutical research, plant natural products provide a unique element of structural diversity and biological functionality, which are indispensable for biotherapeutic discovery. About 40% of the drugs currently used are derived from natural sources. Throughout rural India, traditional physicians use a large number of plants from the ambient vegetations to deal with complicated diseases and ailments. The WHO estimates that 80% of the population in developing countries rely on traditional medicines, mostly plant drugs, for their primary health care needs. A survey conducted by the All India Coordinated Research Project on Ethno-biology (AICRPE) recorded over 5,000 rare species of wild plants used by tribals and other traditional communities in India for treating various health problems. Recent studies of ethno-medical information have confirmed plants as a reservoir of chemical agents with therapeutic potential. The primary systems of traditional medicine practiced in India are Siddha, Ayurveda, and Unani.

What differentiates our approach from other available phytoextracts

• Availability of extensive databases that include a wide range of products used in traditional systems of medicine practiced in India and SEA and a compendium of herbal medicines used across the world,

• A proprietary methodology called MetaGrid^TM, which is based on the use of sophisticated high-throughput instrumental analysis,

• Validation of the activity of compositions using tissue specific gene expression profiling (micro-arrays) and highly targeted cell and animal models of human diseases.