Expanding Brain Health Supplement Market… 'Phosphatidylserine' is the Only Approved Ingredient in Korea
'Plasmalogen' Emerges as New Ingredient… DR B&H Co., Ltd. (herein referred to as DR B&H) Challenges for Market Dominance
As the number of elderly dementia patients increases, the brain health supplement (health functional food) market is drawing attention. Currently, only one brain health supplement ingredient is listed by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS). If a new ingredient that benefits brain health emerges, it is expected to change the market landscape significantly.
According to the Central Dementia Center of the National Medical Center, in 2019, the number of dementia patients among the elderly aged 65 and over was 750,488, with a prevalence rate of 10.16%. The number of dementia patients is expected to exceed 1 million this year and is projected to surpass 2 million by 2039 and 3 million by 2050.
Due to the increasing number of dementia patients, the related pharmaceutical market is also expected to grow exponentially. However, there are currently no effective treatments available, and the system to cope with the growing number of dementia patients is not yet properly established.
■ The Movement to Remove 'Choline Alfoscerate' from the Market Could Boost the Brain Health Supplement Market
Both domestic and international pharmaceutical companies are fervently developing new drugs to conquer dementia. However, these are still in the clinical trial stages, requiring several more years before they can be marketed. Additionally, dementia treatments involve phase 4 clinical trials post-marketing, which means it will take even longer to establish them as definitive treatments.
Choline alfoscerate, known as a dementia treatment, has recently been reported to be ineffective, prompting the pharmaceutical industry to seek alternative medications. However, there are no clear alternatives yet, making brain health supplements increasingly noteworthy.
A brain health supplement made with phosphatidylserine as an ingredient [Photo = Naver Shopping Screenshot]
Most brain health supplements are manufactured using individually recognized raw materials certified by the MFDS. To survive in the brain health supplement market, it is crucial to include new ingredients that can help improve symptoms.
Currently, 'phosphatidylserine' is the only ingredient registered with the MFDS for the production of brain health supplements. Phosphatidylserine is a type of phospholipid, a fat that is a major component of the cell membranes of nerve cells, and is abundant in the brain and heart of animals.
Pharmaceutical companies are producing brain health supplements by mixing vitamins that complement phosphatidylserine.
A representative brain health supplement is 'Good Morning Brain,' recently launched by Daewoong Bio. It contains phosphatidylserine, which can help improve cognitive function, ginkgo biloba extract, which aids memory improvement, and vitamin E, which helps prevent vascular aging.
■ 'Plasmalogen' Emerges as a New Substance for Brain Health Supplements… Registration as an Individually Recognized Ingredient is Key
Health functional food company DR B&H launched 'Brain Signal' in March, which includes scallop extract in addition to phosphatidylserine, drawing attention from the industry.
The substance extracted from scallops is known as 'plasmalogen.' Dr. Takehiko Fujino, Professor Emeritus at Kyushu University, was the first in the world to extract high concentrations of plasmalogen from scallops and successfully convert it into powder.
Plasmalogen is a crucial component of cell membranes in the human body, especially brain cells. Among the phospholipids that make up 50% of the brain, 18% are plasmalogen. As aging progresses, plasmalogen decreases, promoting apoptosis (cell death), which is known to cause Alzheimer's disease.
Dr. Fujino's research team discovered that plasmalogen levels decrease in the serum of Alzheimer's disease patients. They also demonstrated that consuming plasmalogen, which is most similar to the components of brain nerve cells and effective in brain nerve transmission, could help prevent, delay the progression of, and treat dementia.
The issue is that plasmalogen has not yet been registered as an individually recognized ingredient by the MFDS. Therefore, it cannot be marketed specifically as containing plasmalogen; it is simply labeled as containing scallop extract.
Currently, Dr. Hanjin Oh has released a product called 'Plasmalogen Double Up,' approved by the MFDS as a general food product, which extracts plasmalogen from krill oil.
Jinmoo Hong, CEO of DR B&H, told News Today, "We also plan to launch a plasmalogen product as a general food soon," adding, "We aim to develop and release various brain health products that can help prevent and treat dementia."
Meanwhile, DR B&H plans to introduce plasmalogen extracted from scallops at the '1st K-MEX (Korean Medicine and Integrative Medicine International Industry Expo)' to be held at COEX on the 23rd.
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