By Matt Schutte, BioOHio MicrOHscope
CLEVELAND – February 16, 2012 – Cleveland’s Tersus Pharmaceuticals, a company conducting research and development on fatty acids for use in cardiovascular applications, is partnering with Columbus-based Basic Organics to market Cardia 7, a dietary supplement.
The first product on the market containing Provinal, Tersus’ patent-pending form of Omega 7, Cardia 7 is designed to help consumers maintain healthy cholesterol levels.
Provinal is an ultrapurified proprietary blend of Omega 7, a naturally-occurring fatty acid. According to Tersus officials, Provinal offers a broad range of benefits, namely promoting cardiovascular health.
“The monounsaturated, or MUFA, family of fatty acids have universally been shown to exhibit positive health benefits,” said Tersus Pharmaceuticals Director of Research Dr. Jeffrey Green. “Cardia 7 has been clinically researched to target HDLs, which act like the garbage trucks of your bloodstream. HDL cholesterol transports bad cholesterol back to your liver, where it is metabolized and removed from your body. This is why HDL cholesterol is often referred to as ‘good’ or ‘protective’ cholesterol.”
Provinal was GRAS-certified in December 2011. GRAS is an acronym for the phrase Generally Recognized As Safe, described under sections 201(s) and 409 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. GRAS certification allows Tersus to take Provinal to market, while undertaking additional studies to prove efficacy.
In 2010, Tersus Pharmaceuticals was a recipient of a Therapeutic Discovery Project federal grant, and has been working on the parallel development of Provinal as a pharmaceutical-grade nutritional supplement as well as a food additive.
Published in the BioOhio MicrOHscope, February 16, 2012