Lonza: Leveraging L-Carnitine
Lonza Ltd., Basel, Switzerland—with its U.S. headquarters in Fair Lawn, NJ—is active around the globe with its L-carnitine product line, L-Carnitine L-Tartrate, L-Carnitine Free Base USP, Acetyl-L-Carnitine as well as L-Carnitine Magnesium Citrate under the “L CarniPure” name. L-Carnitine L-Tartrate is a non-hygroscopic, stable product with superior handling characteristics; it is suitable for tablets, capsules, soft gels and functional foods.
Director of marketing and sales Elmar Zurbriggen commented on the L-Carnipure name. “The logo is a sign of quality assurance; it signifies to our customers and consumers that the L-Carnitine they are purchasing or consuming is 100% pure L-Carnitine, free of any toxic, detrimental D-Carnitine,” he said. Lonza is the only company that can provide this quality assurance, said Mr. Zurbriggen. “This is the reason why we continuously repeat the logo on our literature and in promotional campaigns. We produce L-Carnitine like it occurs in nature. The quality of L-carnitine is pharmaceutical grade and Lonza’s process is FDA approved, which most dietary supplements are not.”
There are three specific areas for which consumers take L-Carnitine, added Reto Rieder, director of sales-nutrition; these are cardiovascular health, sports performance and weight management. Initially L-Carnitine was routinely added in infant formulas (it is an essential nutrient for babies and non-occurrence of D-Carnitine is crucial). Subsequently Lonza started to build up the dietary supplement market with sound scientific research and strong support to legalize the sale of L-Carnitine as a dietary supplement despite the opposition of pharmaceutical producers of L-Carnitine. In addition, said Mr. Rieder, “We listened to the voice of the customer and developed a non-hygroscopic form of L-Carnitine, L-Carnitine L-Tartrate, which is still by far the most widely used L-Carnitine form to date.”
While in the U.S. dietary supplements are the key market for L-Carnitine, Europe is moving more toward functional foods. As a result, said Mr. Zurbriggen, “Lonza is moving with the trend offering L-Carnitine in a wide range of delivery systems for the functional food market. Consumers in Europe seem to prefer functional foods as opposed to tablets and capsules.”
Promotional activity and raising consumer awareness are high on Lonza’s priority scale. According to Mr. Rieder, “We on the one hand are obviously concerned with producing a product to the highest quality standards; on the other hand we are aware of the need to educate consumers.” Lonza also hosts a website at www.carnitine.com and participates on a regular basis with consumer advertising including radio and TV coverage to spread the word, in addition to sponsoring ongoing clinical research globally.
On the issue of safety and quality, “L-Carnitine is without the slightest doubt a natural and safe ingredient,” said Mr. Rieder. “It has been approved in infant formulas since 1984 and L-Carnitine is naturally found within the human body.” Further ensuring its quest for quality was the recent inspection at Lonza’s plant by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). After review of all documents FDA concluded that Lonza’s site is acceptable for manufacturing L-Carnitine as a nonsterile active pharmaceutical ingredient. —E.S.
Lonza Ltd.
CH-4002
Basel, Switzerland
Telephone: 41-61-316-81-11
Fax: 41-61-316-84-46
E-mail: elmar.zurbriggen@lonzagroup.com
Website: www.carnitine.com
U.S. Headquarters:
Lonza Inc.
17-17 Route 208
Fair Lawn, NJ 07410
Telephone: 800-777-1875
Fax: 201-794-2695
E-mail: rrieder@lonza-us.com
Circle 102 on Reader Service Card.
