Gencor Pacific Inc.: A Traditional Approach to Lifestyle Management

Gencor Pacific Limited was originally founded in Hong Kong in 1999 as a distributor of pharmaceutical ingredients, but an emerging nutraceuticals market soon caught the company’s attention. A new focus on nutraceutical ingredients led to the formation of Gencor Pacific Inc., Austin, TX, in 2002.

The mission of Gencor Pacific Inc. was to create new ingredients supported by clinical research and safety studies for use in dietary supplements and functional foods. Consequently, the company invested a great deal in research and development of lifestyle management areas like obesity, sugar control, cholesterol, menopause and libido to provide consumers with alternative solutions to chronic medication. According to R.V. Venkatesh, managing director, consumers who turn to expensive chronic medication for these ailments run the risk of developing side effects, and in turn, would need additional medication for controlling the side effects, leading to a never ending cycle of medication.

“On the other hand, proper diet and exercise with judicious supplementation and stress management would ensure the majority of the affected populace would be able to take care of themselves and maintain a good, healthy lifestyle without resorting to chronic medication,” said Mr. Venkatesh. “It is this area that the company wanted to focus upon and develop as a core area of business.”

Today, Gencor Pacific supplies a wide range of plant extracts predominantly of Indian origin, ranging from Ayurvedic, Unani and other traditional forms of Indian medicine that are all backed by science. The company has also started to develop cooperative organic farming for cultivating all its herb needs.

One heavily researched ingredient is Slimaluma, which is an extract of Caralluma fimbriata—a succulent from the family Asclepidaceae. This herb has been traditionally used in India for appetite suppression by those living in arid, semi-arid and forest areas.

“We have ensured that the whole profile of the herb is present in the final extract and that only the extraneous resinous matters are eliminated,” said Mr. Venkatesh. “Epidemiological studies revealed that the general usage of the herb as a vegetable was to the tune of 100 grams a day by the Indian people. We worked out extraction techniques by which we standardized the extract to contain the whole spectrum of the herb and arrived at a dosage of 1 gram a day. We did dosage validation studies to establish that consumption of 1 gram of extract a day was equivalent to consumption of 100 grams of herb on a daily basis.”

Other Gencor products launched this past year include Testofen, a libido enhancing and testosterone boosting extract of fenugreek standardized for a high concentration of specific furostanol saponins. Animal studies have shown excellent effects on libido enhancement, testosterone boosting and muscle mass increase. A 60-patient, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical that studied the effects of Testofen has recently been completed; the company will release the results in the near future.

Trigogen is an insulin sensitizing and sugar control ingredient that is also an extract from the fenugreek seeds but is standardized to 4-hydroxyisoleucine, a branched chain amino acid. The product was used in a 120-patient multi-center clinical study where it increased insulin sensitivity and attained blood sugar control.

Developed by a gynecologist, Geno­pause is formulated from four Ayur­vedic, non-estrogenic herbal extracts for use in relieving post-menopausal syndrome in women. Genopause has been shown to alleviate menopausal symptoms like hot flashes, irritation, nervousness and insomnia in a 158-patient double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial.

Two new Gencor skin care products include Clearagen and Gentone. Clearagen is a botanical extract made from the Thai mangosteen, which, according to the company, has the richest content of xanthones. Human clinical studies using Clearagen have produced positive results in inhibiting Propionibacterium acnes, the bacteria responsible for causing acne. And Gentone is a unique botanical extract that has also been proven in a human clinical study to improve skin toning, reduce pigmentation and improve skin texture.

For the future, Gencor Pacific will continue to utilize its pharmaceutical background to contribute to the success of an evolving nutraceuticals market. Besides continuing to invest in research and development for new lifestyle management products, the company has plans to develop the nutraceutical equivalent of a Drug Master File for various botanicals for regulatory filing in various worldwide markets. Gencor is also working on New Botanical Entities to be developed for future filing as New Drugs of Botanical Origin under the FDA’s New Botanical Drug regulations.—M.Z.

Gencor Pacific Inc.
10025 Circleview Drive
Austin, TX 78733
Telephone: 512-263-5520
Fax: 732-875-0306
E-mail: info@gencorpacific.com
Website: www.gencorpacific.com