Money Making Opportunity

*

innovation Entry Point Project i-EPP  

Pectin Diabetes

Treatment (FRIM001)

16

RM

Million Potential Yr2 Revenue

NKEA -Healthcare

Regulates Glucose Levels Can Be Refined to Become a Medicine or as a Food Supplement

 

Pectin Diabetes Treatment (FRIM001)

Project Overview FRIM has developed a pectin-based treatment for diabetes that should help regulate glucose levels. Pectin is a naturally occurring compound, extracted from plant cell walls numerous plants, including the Morinda citrifolia. The pectin can then be refined into a medicine or used as an additive for foods. Would be used in combination with insulin, not as a replacement. Business Idea To utilised an advanced process to isolate pectin from a specific faction of the Morinda citrifolia that can then be processed into a traditional medical treatment. The pectin will then be sold to medicinal companies, food manufacturers, and other companies. Business Model A processing facility could be set up to extract and refine the pectin which can be sold to medicinal companies to who can then refine the pectin into medicines and food companies who can incorporate it into their food. Business Opportunity The global spread of diabetes has become one of the most pressing and dangerous medical conditions around the world and now threatens the well-being of millions of people. Pectin may offer a way to treat diabetes through supplements and by being added to food, to help regulate glucose levels. Market Analysis Almost 350 million people have diabetes (2010) and infliction rates are projected to rise substantially in the coming decades. Eighty percent of these patients come from developing countries. 1.4 million people in Malaysia and at least 125 million people in Asia suffer from diabetes. Nearly 100 million people are inflicted with diabetes in India and China aloneiii. The BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, China) market for diabetes drugs was worth 4 billion in 2009 and is expected to grow to 8.7 billion by 2014iv. Supplements and traditional medicines are already widely used, with 22 percent of diabetic individuals in the USA using either supplements or vitaminsv. Current expenditures on diabetes are estimated to fall between USD 376 billion to USD 672 billion. Competitive Advantages This product offers to be a safe, natural way to help treat diabetes. It does not promise to be either a cure, or a stand-alone treatment, but instead an all-natural component of a treatment regime. Competitor Analysis The most serious competitors will be “modern” diabetic treatments and other dietary supplements. So far no single dietary supplement dominates the market. Pectin can be used in conjunction with most modern medicines.

Technology Solution / Innovation An advanced process has been developed to efficiently extract pectin from the Morinda citrifolia. There are already numerous ways to isolate pectin from various citrus fruits. Most pectin is used as a gelling agent for food stuffs. Further, FRIM has conducted testing that suggests that Pectin can be used to help regulate glucose in diabetic individuals. When pectin is added to food, the effects on tastes will be minimal. Pectin is not mean to replace insulin, the most widely used treatment for diabetes. Instead, it is meant to supplement insulin and to help regulate fluctuating blood levels. Project Challenges Pectin is not a widely accepted treatment for diabetes and several studies and experts have denounced its effects. While nothing proved so far has been conclusive, there is a risk that this product will prove ineffective and will be rejected by the medical community. Also as a supplement and/or medicine, there will likely be strict testing requirements to ensure that the product is effective. Intellectual Property Rights A patent has been filed for both the pectin rich faction and the method to extract the pectin. Project Status This project is ready to be commercialised. FRIM is currently looking for partners to scale this production up into production and distribution. Financials Supplements and traditional medicines are very popular. In the United States, for example, 22 percent of diabetic individuals use vitamins and supplements to try to control their diabetes. Traditional and herbal medicines, in general, are more popular in Asia then in the United States. Y1 = (1.4 million) X ( 2 percent) X (6) X (RM 50) = RM 8,500,000 Y2 = (1.4 Million) X ( 4 percent) X (6) X (RM 50) = RM 16,000,000 Y3 = (1.4 Million) X ( 6 percent) X (6) X (RM 50) = RM 25,000,000 Funding Requirement As the process to extract Petcin has already been developed R&D costs will be minimal. Conclusive testing to measure whether Petcin is an effective treatment for diabetes may be needed however.

Source: (i) (i) http://www.who.int/diabetes/en/ (ii) http://www.asiandiabetes.org/ (iii) http://www.worlddiabetesfoundation.org/composite-35.htm (iv) http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/PressReleases/BRIC-Diabetes-Drugs.asp (v) http://www.diabetes.org/living-with-diabetes/treatment-and-care/medication/herbs-supplements-and-alternative-medicines/