01.01.04
Sabinsa Corporation: Offering Products With A Pedigree
Founded in 1988 by Dr. Muhammed Majeed, Sabinsa Corporation, Payson, UT, was started with the intent of offering generic pharmaceutical ingredients and intermediates to manufacturers. However, due to issues within the FDA at the time, the business climate for generics turned out to be too volatile. As a result, Dr. Majeed turned his attention toward standardizing botanical extracts from Indian origin, many of which were based on traditional Ayurvedic medicine. Fast forward to today and Sabinsa stands as a well recognized manufacturer of Ayurvedic extracts.
Commenting on the company’s beginnings was Todd Norton, president and COO. “Sabinsa’s involvement in the nutraceuticals industry was born out of necessity for survival,” he said. “After a review of the industry it became clear to Dr. Majeed that there were very few ingredient suppliers, and companies in general, that were doing original research on the products they were offering. This turned out to be an area of the industry that Dr. Majeed’s interest and practical experience made for an opportunity to do something few others had. Sabinsa has always been a company that has tried to support each ingredient with some level of scientific support and justification.”
The company first introduced Gugulipid®, a standardized extract from the gum resin of the Commiphora mukul tree, which it licensed from an Indian pharmaceutical company. “The Gugulipid ingredient is the only extract of its kind to have been clinically tested in the U.S., with a second study currently underway,” commented Mr. Norton. “It is also the only natural product to have been granted IND (Investigational New Drug) approval from the FDA for cardiovascular health and cholesterol management indications.” Additionally, the company was recently awarded a U.S. patent on its Gugulipid composition.
Another product that Sabinsa offers is BioPerine‚ which is derived from the household spice black pepper. Standardized to a minimum 95% piperine, BioPerine has demonstrated in multiple clinical studies, its capability to facilitate and enhance the bioavailability and absorption of nutritional compounds.
ForsLean‚ is another product offered by Sabinsa. Standardized extracts containing various percentages of the compound forskolin comprise the portfolio of ForsLean ingredients. “Patented in 1998 for its use in promoting lean body mass, ForsLean can be found in an increasing number of weight management and sports nutrition formulations,” said Mr. Norton. “With its clearly defined biological mechanism of action, ForsLean is positioned as a safe and effective alternative to some of the weight loss ingredients that have come under intense scrutiny lately. While the foundation for its use is firmly in place, Sabinsa has additional clinical studies underway that should significantly add to the body of knowledge and expand the understanding already developed on this promising herbal preparation.”
In other news, Sabinsa is participating with the National Institute of Health (NIH) through the National Cancer Institute (NCI) in a 12-year, 32,000 subject, multiple clinic study involving its Selenium SeLECT product, which has also received FDA IND approval. Mr. Norton said Selenium SeLECT is an optically confirmed L-selenomethinione compound that served as the basis for defining the first and present USP monograph on selenomethionine. An HPLC method of analysis developed by Sabinsa that will determine the purity level of selenomthionine has also been submitted to USP for review.
In other recent events, the company has completed construction on a new super critical fluid extract (SCFE) facility. Several of the company’s products are now commercially produced using this method of extraction, including ForsLean, Gugulipid and ginger root extract to name a few. “The benefits of SCFE, also known as CO, or carbon dioxide extraction, include a much cleaner product virtually free from residual solvents, pesticides and microbial contamination,” explained Mr. Norton. “Efforts are ongoing to evaluate and develop methods to apply this improved technology to as many of the company’s botanical extracts as possible.”
Speaking from an ingredient supplier’s perspective on the state of the industry, Mr. Norton said that there is a genuine lack of understanding, and care, at many levels of the industry in determining and assessing what a quality dietary ingredient is and what is involved in making them consistently. “The industry is being forced to change the way it operates with pending regulations, more watchful and active FTC oversight and what appears to be eventual FDA mandated GMPs,” he said. “The bar is being raised and this is a good thing, but it shouldn’t be raised so high that nobody can reasonably clear it. This will inevitably lead to a cleansing of sorts from the industry of companies whose activities and claims are questionable at best. The industry is maturing. Greater responsibility and accountability will not only be expected, but required.”
As for the future, Mr. Norton said that there will come a day when people seek out and buy products that contain ingredients where actual testing has been performed and where safety and efficacy are documented. “Sabinsa wants to be in a leadership position when this manifestation plays out. We like to refer to our ingredients as ‘products with a pedigree,’” he offered. “If you look around the industry there are very few companies today spending proportionate dollars on product research, development and clinical studies as they do on marketing. For some companies the research to marketing ratio is so grossly disproportionate you wonder if it exists at all, especially when you see the outrageous product claims some of them make and you know that what is stated cannot be substantiated. If a company is going to be taken seriously as a legitimate player in this industry, the path to follow is becoming increasingly clear and narrow.”—T.W.
Sabinsa Corporation
750 South Innovation Circle
Payson, UT 84651
Telephone: 801-465-8400
Fax: 801-465-8600
E-mail: info.utah@sabinsa.com
Website: www.sabinsa.com
Founded in 1988 by Dr. Muhammed Majeed, Sabinsa Corporation, Payson, UT, was started with the intent of offering generic pharmaceutical ingredients and intermediates to manufacturers. However, due to issues within the FDA at the time, the business climate for generics turned out to be too volatile. As a result, Dr. Majeed turned his attention toward standardizing botanical extracts from Indian origin, many of which were based on traditional Ayurvedic medicine. Fast forward to today and Sabinsa stands as a well recognized manufacturer of Ayurvedic extracts.
Commenting on the company’s beginnings was Todd Norton, president and COO. “Sabinsa’s involvement in the nutraceuticals industry was born out of necessity for survival,” he said. “After a review of the industry it became clear to Dr. Majeed that there were very few ingredient suppliers, and companies in general, that were doing original research on the products they were offering. This turned out to be an area of the industry that Dr. Majeed’s interest and practical experience made for an opportunity to do something few others had. Sabinsa has always been a company that has tried to support each ingredient with some level of scientific support and justification.”
The company first introduced Gugulipid®, a standardized extract from the gum resin of the Commiphora mukul tree, which it licensed from an Indian pharmaceutical company. “The Gugulipid ingredient is the only extract of its kind to have been clinically tested in the U.S., with a second study currently underway,” commented Mr. Norton. “It is also the only natural product to have been granted IND (Investigational New Drug) approval from the FDA for cardiovascular health and cholesterol management indications.” Additionally, the company was recently awarded a U.S. patent on its Gugulipid composition.
Another product that Sabinsa offers is BioPerine‚ which is derived from the household spice black pepper. Standardized to a minimum 95% piperine, BioPerine has demonstrated in multiple clinical studies, its capability to facilitate and enhance the bioavailability and absorption of nutritional compounds.
ForsLean‚ is another product offered by Sabinsa. Standardized extracts containing various percentages of the compound forskolin comprise the portfolio of ForsLean ingredients. “Patented in 1998 for its use in promoting lean body mass, ForsLean can be found in an increasing number of weight management and sports nutrition formulations,” said Mr. Norton. “With its clearly defined biological mechanism of action, ForsLean is positioned as a safe and effective alternative to some of the weight loss ingredients that have come under intense scrutiny lately. While the foundation for its use is firmly in place, Sabinsa has additional clinical studies underway that should significantly add to the body of knowledge and expand the understanding already developed on this promising herbal preparation.”
In other news, Sabinsa is participating with the National Institute of Health (NIH) through the National Cancer Institute (NCI) in a 12-year, 32,000 subject, multiple clinic study involving its Selenium SeLECT product, which has also received FDA IND approval. Mr. Norton said Selenium SeLECT is an optically confirmed L-selenomethinione compound that served as the basis for defining the first and present USP monograph on selenomethionine. An HPLC method of analysis developed by Sabinsa that will determine the purity level of selenomthionine has also been submitted to USP for review.
In other recent events, the company has completed construction on a new super critical fluid extract (SCFE) facility. Several of the company’s products are now commercially produced using this method of extraction, including ForsLean, Gugulipid and ginger root extract to name a few. “The benefits of SCFE, also known as CO, or carbon dioxide extraction, include a much cleaner product virtually free from residual solvents, pesticides and microbial contamination,” explained Mr. Norton. “Efforts are ongoing to evaluate and develop methods to apply this improved technology to as many of the company’s botanical extracts as possible.”
Speaking from an ingredient supplier’s perspective on the state of the industry, Mr. Norton said that there is a genuine lack of understanding, and care, at many levels of the industry in determining and assessing what a quality dietary ingredient is and what is involved in making them consistently. “The industry is being forced to change the way it operates with pending regulations, more watchful and active FTC oversight and what appears to be eventual FDA mandated GMPs,” he said. “The bar is being raised and this is a good thing, but it shouldn’t be raised so high that nobody can reasonably clear it. This will inevitably lead to a cleansing of sorts from the industry of companies whose activities and claims are questionable at best. The industry is maturing. Greater responsibility and accountability will not only be expected, but required.”
As for the future, Mr. Norton said that there will come a day when people seek out and buy products that contain ingredients where actual testing has been performed and where safety and efficacy are documented. “Sabinsa wants to be in a leadership position when this manifestation plays out. We like to refer to our ingredients as ‘products with a pedigree,’” he offered. “If you look around the industry there are very few companies today spending proportionate dollars on product research, development and clinical studies as they do on marketing. For some companies the research to marketing ratio is so grossly disproportionate you wonder if it exists at all, especially when you see the outrageous product claims some of them make and you know that what is stated cannot be substantiated. If a company is going to be taken seriously as a legitimate player in this industry, the path to follow is becoming increasingly clear and narrow.”—T.W.
Sabinsa Corporation
750 South Innovation Circle
Payson, UT 84651
Telephone: 801-465-8400
Fax: 801-465-8600
E-mail: info.utah@sabinsa.com
Website: www.sabinsa.com
