Media release

14 April 2004

$2.4m research partnership investigates non-drug approach to preventing gastric diseases

A new, food-based approach to managing a health complaint which affects millions of people world-wide is the subject of a four-year $2.4 million research programme being led by Crop & Food Research scientists.

The programme, which has just received funding from the Foundation for Research, Science and Technology, is being undertaken in partnership with the natural health care company, Comvita. The award-winning export company is contributing towards the four year programme as part of its innovative product development strategy backed by scientific research.

The research aims to develop foods which either prevent or treat conditions associated with infection by Helicobacter pylori, a bacterium which causes gastritis, ulcers and gastric cancer. These conditions are traditionally treated with drugs once the symptoms appear.

Crop & Food Research chief executive Paul Tocker says scientists will be developing high value foods which have ingredients which work together to reduce the effects of H Pylori infection.

It is estimated that some 70% of the world’s population is infected with H pylori, but not all will develop health complaints.

“These novel foods will be attractive to people who want to reduce the risk of stomach ulcers or gastric cancer. They will also be attractive to a broader market because they will taste good and be convenient to eat, and this will improve the digestive health of a broader market.”

He says the potential to combat H Pylori infection with specific foods opens up exciting export potential, initially in Asia and Australia.

Collaborating with Crop & Food Research will be medical researchers at the Christchurch School of Medicine and the University of New South Wales in Australia. The programme is being led by Crop & Food Research’s Dr Alison Wallace, who is an emerging researcher.

Ends

For more information contact:
Katherine Trought
Communications Manager
Crop & Food Research
Phone 03 325 6400
Mobile 027 431 3264

www.crop.cri.nz

News Release
March 26, 2004
Collaboration Between Japanese And NZ Scientists Now A Step Closer

Comvita Limited, winner of the prestigious 2003 Consumer Products Exporter of the Year Award, has put its winnings to good use by hosting a visit by an internationally-acclaimed honeybee and propolis expert from Japan.

Associate Professor Jun Nakamura, from the Honeybee Science Research Centre at Tamagawa University, near Tokyo, has spent the last week with Comvita personnel discussing beekeeping and visiting scientists throughout the North Island. His busy schedule included a meeting with the man who received an MBE for his investigations into the antibacterial properties of honey, Dr Peter Molan, Professor of Biological Sciences at Waikato University.

Although well travelled in the course of studying the honeybee over the last 25 years, this is Dr Nakamura’s first visit to New Zealand. It’s also the first time he has seen manuka, the native plant which is unique to this country and which enables bees to produce the sought after manuka honey.

“The existence of manuka and manuka honey no doubt explains the huge focus on honey in New Zealand,” says Dr Nakamura. “In Japan and elsewhere in Asia, the focus is more on other products of the honeybee, such as propolis.”

Propolis is a subject close to the heart of this quiet, unassuming professional. The product, which has long been recognised as an effective treatment for all manner of infections, has found a big market in Japan and in other Asian markets.

“We are very aware of the health benefits to be gained from digesting propolis. There is major potential for it in Asia.”

One of those charged with hosting Dr Nakamura during his visit was Comvita’s technical manager, Denise Elliott. A registered naturopath, she says New Zealand propolis is finding a ready market in Asia.

“Our propolis is high in flavonoids. There’s strong evidence to demonstrate that propolis is a powerful antioxidant because of the strength of the flavonoids it contains,” she says. “Comvita has recognised the concentration and variety of flavonoids give propolis exceptional health benefits.”

Elliott says propolis is still looked on as a mysterious bee product being a complex mixture of beeswax and plant resins collected by honeybees. Its powerful combination of antibacterial and antiviral properties has earned it a worldwide following.”

Dr Nakamura endorses the many positive properties of propolis. “It’s totally natural,” he says, “so there are no major side-effects.”

Some of his time here was spent viewing poplar trees – one of several varieties of trees which produce natural sap and resins with high flavonoid levels utilised in propolis.

“Honey bees gather the resins and add their own special substances to make propolis, which they use to protect the hive,” he explains. “There’s a strong conviction among Asians that propolis has very strong immune-boosting properties, which undoubtedly accounts for the upsurge of interest in propolis in Japan and elsewhere.”

Comvita’s CEO Graeme Boyd says Dr Nakamura’s visit has strengthened the relationship Comvita has been building for some time with Tamagawa University.

“The aim of this relationship is to encourage collaborative research into New Zealand propolis between our scientists and Japan’s,” says Boyd. “This is an important step along the way. It has been fast-tracked by the grant received under the Consumer Products Export Award.”

END

News Release
April 8, 2004

Comvita’s New Medical Division Secures First Export Order For Medical Grade Honey

The newly established medical division of award-winning natural health products company Comvita Limited has secured its first export order for medical grade manuka honey.

The order will be supplied by Comvita’s Cambridge-based medical division whose formation follows the recent acquisition of Bee & Herbal NZ Ltd. and Apimed Medical Honey Limited.

Comvita received the export order from the UK wound care product manufacturer Brightwake soon after that company was granted a drug tariff allowing its manuka honey wound dressings to be fully funded by the National Health Service and marketed directly to hospitals and clinics in the UK.

The formation of the Comvita Medical Division and its first export order are viewed by Comvita’s CEO Graeme Boyd as major milestones for the company and for the use of honey in international medical markets.

“The economic potential is huge and creates new opportunities for everyone involved in the production of manuka honey,” he says. “This includes landowners and beekeepers.”

This is endorsed by Comvita’s chairman Bill Bracks who says launch of the medical division reflects a new direction the company’s taking.

“It takes us toward the illness end of the health spectrum,” he says. “Comvita has been traditionally positioned at the wellness end. Its focus has been directed at creating a condition of wellness. We are now moving down the continuum toward the medical end, the illness end.”

Bracks points to the wound-dressings which are a mainstay product of the medical division. He says obviously these are aimed at people who already have a wound.

“The medical end is driven mainly because we have a high degree of expertise and experience in dealing with manuka honey, having pioneered the growth of the manuka honey market and through our long association with Professor Peter Molan at Waikato University.

“Manuka honey is a unique New Zealand product which offers a new method of treating otherwise untreatable wounds. Even the flesh-eating bacteria succumb to the high activity manuka honey.”

Bracks says manuka honey fits specifically into the wound dressing market which is a key part of the huge medical devices market estimated to be worth $40 billion internationally. He says there’s huge potential to tap into a very small portion of that market

Newly-appointed divisional manager, Ray Lewis, says Comvita is laying the foundations for growth with an innovation programme backed by clinical trials. He explains research at Waikato University has identified an exceptional antibacterial property called UMF, or Unique Manuka Factor, which is present in some but not all manuka honey.

“UMF manuka honey provides a moist environment to promote healing and reduce scarring, and has been proven by medical science to be a natural solution for wound care,” says Lewis.

“In supplying medical grade honey, a unique supplier accreditation programme ensures product traceability and safety. The supplier network from resource to manufacturer can be audited for compliance. Safety’s ensured not only for microbiological contamination but also for any chemical and physical contamination.

“Other honey quality standards such as foreign matter, drum standards and manuka characteristics are also considered when determining medical grade honey. The entire process, from positioning and maintaining the beehives to extracting the honey and packaging the end product, is controlled to a strict quality regime developed by Comvita to meet the demanding standards of UK regulatory authorities.”

A non-adherent wound dressing is impregnated with the honey to form a protective barrier and help create a moist wound-healing environment. Osmotic action draws exudate into the dressing thus releasing more honey and helping to create an environment favourable to healing.

END