Reducol™, a unique cholesterol-lowering
ingredient developed by Forbes Medi-Tech Inc. (TSX:FMI
and NASDAQ:FMTI) is launched in the UK today (Tuesday
20th December 2005).
Reducol is a unique ingredient containing
plant sterols and stanols, commonly known as phytosterols,
or “Sterols”. The combination of a prudent
diet and consumption of products containing the recommended
amount of Reducol may help consumers lower their cholesterol
by up to 24%.
What makes Reducol different
from other phytosterol products?
Almost all currently available cholesterol lowering
foods contain plant sterols in the form of “sterol
esters”. Sterol Esters are sterols with additional
fatty acids. The purpose of the fatty acids is to
make the incorporation of the sterols into food production
simpler. Unfortunately, these additional fats add
calories to the diet. Reducol is supplied to food
manufacturers as an odourless, tasteless powder that
contains no fat, protein or carbohydrates.
Foods containing Reducol have been
formulated to be healthy, while retaining excellent
taste and texture in comparison with currently available
products.
Reducol is non-GMO and kosher certified.
Reducol is supported by numerous
peer reviewed clinical studies. Of particular note
is a study completed by Professor Peter Jones, which
demonstrated that a prudent diet alone reduced cholesterol
by 9%. The addition of Reducol to the prudent diet
provided a further reduction of cholesterol by 15%,
giving a total reduction of 24%.
The optimal dosage of Reducol required
to reduce cholesterol is 1.8 grams per day, compared
with a requirement of approximately 2.5 grams per
day of sterol ester.
What does it do and is it
safe for me?
Reducol has been approved by the European Commission
and is clinically proven to significantly lower ‘bad’
cholesterol levels when used in conjunction with a
low fat diet and exercise.
Reducol works primarily by blocking absorption of
cholesterol in the gut, without being absorbed into
your body.
Where's the proof?
Clinical research conducted on Reducol, in addition
to another 100+ worldwide clinical studies on phytosterols,
have delivered positive results strongly supporting
health claims of phytosterols in lowering bad cholesterol
in humans.
How do I take Reducol?
Reducol is a tasteless and odourless ingredient that
can be incorporated into a variety of approved foods.
You will soon find a range of products containing
Reducol in supermarkets and grocery outlets.
How does Reducol work with
my diet?
Reducol has no calorific or fat values, so it is ideal
for consumers seeking a healthy, low fat approach
to their dietary routine.
Where does Reducol come from
and is it high quality?
Reducol is derived from coniferous trees - a natural
and renewable, non-genetically modified source. It
is manufactured in the USA through a technically advanced,
proprietary process operating under strict codes of
good manufacturing practice.
Is Reducol safe to use in
the long-term?
Since phytosterols are naturally present in a balanced
diet, they have demonstrated an excellent safety record
through a long history of consumption as part of a
normal human diet. Furthermore, numerous human and
animal studies conducted since the 1950’s have
reported no serious adverse effects.
Complete information about Reducol
can be found at www.reducol.com.
Forbes Medi-Tech has worked closely
with Fayrefield Foods (www.fayrefield.com),
a company that specialises in the production and marketing
of dietary products. Based in Crewe, Fayrefield's
expertise and creativity in working with producers
and retailers will help extend the availability of
foods containing Reducol.
“The launch of Reducol in
the UK is the culmination of growing demand for heart
healthy products and strong strategic partnerships,
allowing us to produce a cholesterol-lowering product
range that the public will soon be able to enjoy,”
says Charles Butt, President and CEO of Forbes Medi-Tech
Inc. “Advancing products that have a real health
benefit, without jeopardizing taste, has been a rewarding
process.”
“We believe there is a significant
opportunity for products containing Reducol in the
UK” says Nick Hilton, Managing Director of Fayrefield
Foods. “The launch of Reducol in the UK means
that a wide range of effective, great tasting foods
will soon be widely available. Approximately 1.8 million
people in the UK are prescribed lipid lowering drugs.
However, 68% of the respondents in a recent survey
said that they would prefer to treat a high cholesterol
level by dietary change rather than with prescription
medication. We believe there is strong demand for
new foods that can help people to lower their cholesterol
and we are pleased to offer top quality products containing
Reducol to fulfill that need.”
Forbes Medi-Tech Inc. is a life sciences
company dedicated to the research, development and
commercialisation of innovative products for the prevention
and treatment of cardiovascular disease. The company’s
vision is to develop and market products along a treatment
continuum that cardiovascular disease consumers, healthcare
professionals and specialised cardiovascular disease
research and healthcare institutions will identify,
recommend and seek. More information on Forbes may
be found at www.forbesmedi.com.
What is the published evidence?
Peter JH Jones, Fady Y Ntanios,
Mahmoud Raeini-Sarjaz, Catherine A Vanstone.
Cholesterol-lowering efficacy of a sitostanol-containing
phytosterol mixture with a prudent diet in hyperlipidemic
men. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 1999:69:1144-50.
WH Ling, PJH Jones.
Dietary Phytosterols: Mini-Review, Dietary Phytosterols:
A Review of Metabolism, Benefits and Side Effects,
Life Sciences, Vol. 57, No.3 pp. 195-206, 1995.
Zawistowski J and Kitts
DD. A brief review of phytosterols including
chemistry, efficacy and safety. A functional soup.
Canadian Chemical News 54:5. May 2002, p.17-20
Robert A Moreau, Bruce D
Whitaker, Kevin B Hicks. Phytosterols, phytostanols,
and their conjugates in foods: structural diversity,
quantitative analysis, and health-promoting uses.
Progress in Lipid Research 41 (2002) 457-500
Jacqueline de Graaf, Pernette
RW de Sauvage Nolting, Marjel van Dam, Elizabeth M
Belsey, John Kastelein, P Haydn Pritchard and Anton
FH Stalenhoef. Consumption of tall oil-derived
phytosterols in a chocolate matrix significantly decreases
plasma total and low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol
levels. British Journal of Nutrition (2002), Vol.
88: 479-488
Press Enquiries:
Evelyn Vittery/Melissa Neal
Bloomsbury Communications
Tel: 020 7833 3759
Email: evelyn@bloomsburycommunications.com
Date: 20th December 2005.
Forbes Medi-Tech Launches Cholesterol-Lowering Ingredient
Reducol™ in the U.K.
CANADIAN PRESS RELEASE - December
20th 2005
Products Incorporating Reducol™ Destined for
UK’s Largest Retailer, Tesco Foods
Vancouver, Canada
Forbes Medi-Tech Inc. (TSX:FMI and NASDAQ:FMTI)
today announced Forbes’ cholesterol-lowering
ingredient, Reducol™, has been launched in
the UK. The initial products carrying Reducol™
will be sold through the UK’s largest retailer,
Tesco Foods, under their own private label. In combination
with Tesco, Forbes Medi-Tech will announce further
details about this new line of cholesterol-lowering
products early in the new year as they become available
on store shelves.
At a joint press conference held
in London today, several speakers discussed the
importance of good cholesterol health and the launch
of the New Heart Healthy range of products with
Reducol™. Speakers included: Gwyneth Dunwoody,
British Member of Parliament; Dr. Peter Jones, Department
of Food Science & Human Nutritional Sciences,
University of Manitoba; Dr Saul Myerson, Clinical
Lecturer in Cardiovascular Medicine, Oxford University;
and Jane Griffin, State Registered Dietitian and
published author.
The press conference audio is available
through a webcast posted on the Forbes Medi-Tech
website – www.forbesmedi.com.
“Coronary Heart Disease remains
the greatest killer in our country, yet over 65%
of those aged 45-54 do not know what their cholesterol
level is,” said Gwyneth Dunwoody. “This
endeavor, between Forbes Medi-Tech and Tesco, to
produce cholesterol-lowering functional food products
is completely in keeping with the government sponsored
initiative to help consumers lower their cholesterol
safely and effectively.”
“Tesco has committed to an
innovative strategy to provide our customers with
a heart healthy line of products from the Tesco
private label brand”, said Sheila Gallagher
Tesco representative. “Tesco’s established
presence as a trusted brand in the UK and Reducol™’s
proven ability to lower cholesterol provides the
basis for a comprehensive range of products with
heart healthy benefits and excellent taste.”
“The Reducol™ launch
in the UK is the culmination of growing demand for
heart healthy products and strong strategic partnerships
producing a cholesterol-lowering product mix that
the public will soon be able to enjoy,” said
Charles Butt, President and CEO of Forbes Medi-Tech.
“Unlike other brands, Tesco will be able to
launch a wide range of cholesterol-lowering food
products under a single brand name.”
This business initiative with Tesco
is the result of Forbes’ partnership with
Fayrefield Foods of Crewe UK, established in December
2004.
About Reducol™
Reducol is a unique ingredient containing plant
sterols and stanols, commonly known as phytosterols,
or “Sterols”. The combination of a prudent
diet and consumption of products containing the
recommended amount of Reducol may help consumers
lower their cholesterol by up to 24%. Additional
information on Reducol™ can be found at www.reducol.com.
About Tesco
Tesco is the UK's largest retailer. Tesco has reached
this position through its four-part strategy for
growth:
1. Tesco focuses on a strong Core UK business by
offering customers excellent value, choice and convenience
2. Tesco aims to be as strong in non-food as it
is in food
3. Tesco follows the customer into new areas of
retailing services such as financial services (Tesco
Personal Finance), internet shopping (Tesco.com)
and telephony (Tesco telecom).
4. Tesco wants to be an international retailer with
a long term strategy for growth.
The Tesco Group reported GBP$37.1
billion in sales for FY2005. It has 2,318 stores
and employs 326,000 people in the 12 countries in
which it operates. In Europe, outside the UK, it
operates in Ireland, Hungary, Poland, Czech Republic,
Slovakia and Turkey where it has 261 stores and
55,000 employees. In Asia it has 179 stores and
34,000 employees across its businesses in Thailand,
S. Korea, Taiwan, Malaysia and Japan. It is the
market leader in 6 of the countries it trades in.
Wherever it operates it has one core purpose "Creating
value for customers to earn their lifetime loyalty"
and two values "No-one tries harder for customers";
"Treat people how we like to be treated"
that directs how it operates.
About Fayrefield Foods
Fayrefield Foods specializes in the production and
marketing of dairy products and powders throughout
Europe, the Middle East and North America. Since
it began in 1982 the company has established a reputation
for innovation and quality, and now achieves sales
in excess of 200 million pounds (approximately US$370
million) per year. Additional information on Fayrefield
can be found at www.fayrefield.com.
About Forbes Medi-Tech
Inc.
Forbes Medi-Tech Inc. is a life sciences company
dedicated to the research, development and commercialization
of innovative products for the prevention and treatment
of cardiovascular disease. Our vision is to develop
and market products along a treatment continuum
that cardiovascular disease consumers, healthcare
professionals and specialized cardiovascular disease
research and healthcare institutions will identify,
recommend and seek. Our business strategy is to
develop and commercialize proprietary compounds
to address the unmet needs of patients within the
cardiovascular disease market.
For more information, please contact:
Darren Seed
Manager, Investor Relations
Telephone: (604) 681-8976
E-mail: dseed@forbesmedi.com
NASDAQ and the
Toronto Stock Exchange have not reviewed and do
not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy
of the content of this News Release. The Company
does not review or control the contents of any linked
or referenced website, such links and references
do not constitute an endorsement by Forbes of any
other websites and Forbes is not responsible for
the information contained on such websites. This
News Release contains forward-looking statements
regarding products containing Reducol™, the
incorporation of Reducol™ in future products
and the future launch of such products, which statements
can be identified by the use of forward-looking
terminology such as “scheduled”, “planned”,
“anticipated”, “we see”,
“evolving into”, “look forward”,
or comparable terminology referring to future events
or results. The Company’s actual results could
differ materially from those anticipated in these
forward-looking statements as a result of numerous
factors, including the risk of early termination
of the Company’s agreement with Scanvit or
of Scanvit’s agreement with Kesko; the Company’s
reliance on both Scanvit and Kesko for performance;
uncertainty regarding the market for products containing
Reducol™ and the risk that such products may
not achieve market acceptance; product development
risks; uncertainty whether further products containing
Reducol™ will be launched later this year
or at all; intellectual property risks; manufacturing
risks and the Company’s dependency on its
joint venture manufacturing partner, Chusei (U.S.A.)
Inc.; raw material supply risk; product liability
and insurance risks; the effect of competition;
and the Company’s need for future funding;
any of which could cause actual results to vary
materially from current results or the Company’s
anticipated future results. See the Company’s
reports filed with the Canadian and U.S. securities
regulatory authorities from time to time for cautionary
statements identifying important factors with respect
to such forward-looking statements, including certain
risks and uncertainties, that could cause actual
results to differ materially from results referred
to in forward-looking statements. The Company assumes
no obligation to update the information contained
in this News Release.
Swedish Soft
October 2005
Chris Swire, Marketing Director:
It's great to have Swedish Soft
back on the market after a two year break, following
the closure of our old factory. Since then, we have
been working hard to improve the quality of Swedish
Soft. I'm certain our consumers will agree that
we have succeeded and it's important to let them
know that Swedish Soft is back.
What better way to do that than
through the Vegetarian Society, whose 'New Traditions'
recipe booklet we are sponsoring.
This high quality publication is
available now and includes a range of recipes for
Vegetarians, Vegans and those looking to make a
lifestyle change. It highlights ways that Swedish
Soft can be used to add flavour and interest to
any meal.
Initially, Swedish Soft can be
found in larger Sainsbury's stores but during 2006
we hope to dramatically improve our distribution.
We will also re-launch the amazing Garlic &
Herbs variety for those wanting a dramatic flavour
option.
We can look forward to an exciting
future with more and more wonderful vegetarian products.
Heartfelt
Press Release
Press Information July 2005
FAYREFIELD FOODS INTRODUCES ‘HEARTFELT’
-
A REVOLUTION IN LOW FAT CHEESES
Initially listed in three hundred Tesco
stores nationally from July, with Sainsbury’s
and ASDA expected to follow in September, Heartfelt
is packaged in a vibrant pink film designed to help
the product leap above it’s competitors on the
shelf. RRP is £1.99 for a 250g slab.
