Anti-blood clotting OJ from University of Liverpool

An anti-blood clotting drink has been developed by an up-and-coming biotechnology business based at the University of Liverpool’s Business Incubator, MerseyBIO.

Provexis, a medical food company, is in the final stages of its large-scale trial on the new orange juice drink that has been shown to lower the chance of blood clots and thereby reduce risk of heart attack, stroke and the development of deep vein thrombosis.

Provexis has now secured more than £500,000 to develop the product from the Rising Stars Growth Fund, the North West Equity Fund and existing shareholders.

It is hoped the drink, which contains an anti-blood clotting extract called CardioFlow, harvested from tomatoes, will be on supermarket shelves by the summer. Provexis is currently in talks with a number of global firms, which specialise in health products and are interested in putting CardioFlow on the market.

Dr Stephen Franklin, Chief Executive of Provexis, explained: “The investment will allow the business to take the CardioFlow product to market. The main market will be those people who are conscious of their health, for example individuals who take aspirin not because their doctors prescribe it, but because they have heard it can help thin the blood. Unlike aspirin, which can cause gastric bleeding and different responses in different people, CardioFlow is not a drug, it is a natural product which is proven to be effective”.

John McQuillian, Director of MerseyBIO said: “I am delighted that Provexis, an exciting young biotechnology company based in the Incubator, is attracting such investment. Provexis is an outstanding example of the innovative new businesses with which it is our pleasure to work. It is particularly satisfying to see the MerseyBIO Incubator acts as a gateway to new funding and technology opportunities for our companies.”