Biotech for Wellness: Driving successful R&D and licensing in nutraceuticals through new business models and collaboration

Over the past 5 years all of the major food and beverage companies have undergone a fundamental strategy shift to take into account the increasing consumer focus on health and wellness. The demand for these products will continue to be driven by a growing and ageing population with increased chronic, lifestyle-related health problems, the rising costs of healthcare and potential savings from preventive measures and increased consumer awareness.

Nutraceuticals can be included in a functional food or taken as dietary supplements. Examples of nutraceuticals include omega-3 fatty acids, phytosterols and stanols, probiotics and prebioitics and aim to support health or target risk factors for chronic diseases such as cholesterol. The biotech and nutraceutical industries are targeting some of the same lifestyle disease growth markets, but from a different standpoint and with different goals. Consequently, a number of factors are leading to the convergence of the food and biotech sectors including the increasing use of ingredients that claim to have health benefits and which have been studied in clinical trials to demonstrate these benefits; and the increasing scientific evidence for a link between diet and the cause or treatment of a number of diseases.

This report reviews the business strategies of leading companies regarding the development of nutraceuticals/ingredients and the adoption of biotech technologies and business models to maximize their return on investment and develop products that offer a more personalized approach to nutrition and promote health and wellness.

Key features of this report

• Identify leading companies at the forefront of nutraceutical research who will drive the market towards a more personalized approach to health and wellness.
• Assess current approaches to R&D and use of clinical assessment tools such as biomarkers of risk reduction, in the development of food and drinks with enhanced nutritional content and bioactive components, that can modify taste and promote health benefits
• Review the backgrounds, strategies and business models of food and drinks companies and the adoption of a more biotech-like approach to the development of food.
• Discuss the regulatory, ethical and IP issues associated with the development of nutraceutical products which promote health and wellness

• Identify the companies leading the field in nutraceutical research from food and drinks manufacturers.
• Review their key products and business alliances that enable them to participate in this consumer driven marketplace.
• Compare and contrast areas of biotechnology and strategic development adopted by the food and drinks markets which are influencing the way in which nutraceuticals are identified, clinically assessed and promoted to the consumer
• Review market drivers regarding the adoption of nutraceuticals and the personalization of nutrition in the promotion of health and wellness.

• Ingredients with functional properties that are often added to food and drinks or are found naturally in them include essential fatty acids such as omega-3 oils, probiotics, prebiotics, plant sterols, botanicals etc. Over the past few years, most of these nutraceutical ingredients have made good progress in the marketplace in a variety of end products including foods, beverages and supplements. Some of these products have had limited success or have been withdrawn.
• Regulations in this competitive marketplace are evolving to encourage innovation whilst protect consumer safety. These changing regulations, particularly in the EU, are likely to have a profound effect on the industry in the near future.
• The food market is changing: Over the past decade, consumers have become more concerned for their health and wellbeing. The roll of the food and drinks industry is changing and shifting towards a more benefit driven and preventative approach. In order to respond to market dynamics the companies have needed to adopt an “open network” model to gain access to innovative research and technologies which will drive future product development.

• Synergies exist between the food and drinks industry and the biotech industry in clinical research and the identification of new ingredients that may create new opportunities (e.g. biomarker discover). However, the costs of developing novel nutraceutical ingredients, and carrying out a program of clinical research to support an application for a relevant health claim are clearly rising. To this end, many food and drinks companies have already adopted a biotech-like open network business model and product development strategies (outsourcing) to develop the next generation of health promoting products.
• The food and drinks industry has been undergoing major regulatory changes during the last few years, particularly with respect to health and dietary claims. Added to this, the adoption and application of nutrigenomic, genomic, proteomic and metabolomic technologies, may provide additional clinical data to substantiate claims and provide new opportunities to develop products which target consumer sub groups. This may require further adjustments in the regulatory framework to stimulate innovation but ensure consumer safety.
• The ability of innovative companies to generate intellectual property is a key driver for the sector as more and more companies are looking to use novel technologies such as nutrigenomics and incorporating nutraceutical to meet consumer demand for personalized nutrition. A search for worldwide patents including the word ‘nutraceutical’ in the title revealed 221 patents in total. Of these, 60 covered ingredients or processes that could be applied to either nutraceuticals or pharmaceuticals.
• Product development and lifecycle management are critical for the sustained profitability of biotechs; the allocation of resources to support the investigation of new indications for both marketed and developmental products and their potential reformulation are pivotal in maintaining brand leadership and expanding market penetration. In particular, drug repurposing - finding new indications for existing drugs - is a growing trend in the pharma industry. Similar goals are no being applied by the food an drinks industry .

• Which companies are involved in the development of food and drinks which promote health and wellness and how may they influence the uptake of personalized nutrition?
• How are Health and Nutrition market leaders applying nutraceutical research in their R&D programs to develop new products or create new marketing opportunities?
• What potential lessons may be learnt from the biotech industry in the development of niche products which promote health and wellness and provide a more personalised approach to nutrition.