Arcadia Biosciences, Inc., an agricultural technology company focused on developing technologies and products that benefit the environment and human health, today announced that Health Canada has granted the company clearance to sell SONOVA 400 in Canada. With the December 2009 completion of the New Dietary Ingredient (NDI) regulatory process in the United States, Arcadia is now able to make the health-maintaining oil available throughout the US and Canada.
“The Health Canada clearance is another important milestone in the growth of our nutrition business. We are making further investments to help us capitalize on what we see as a significant opportunity to apply new agricultural technologies to the development of products that improve the lives of people worldwide.”
SONOVA 400 is the most concentrated, convenient and cost-effective source of gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) available. The documented health benefits of GLA, an omega-6 fatty acid, are similar and complementary to those of omega-3 fatty acids. Published studies have identified the use of GLA as an effective anti-inflammatory and skin health agent. A recent study by Schirmer and Phinney found that GLA supplementation also plays a key role in maintaining weight loss.
Evening primrose oil and borage oil are the two primary commercial sources of GLA, containing 10 percent and 20 percent GLA respectively. With more than 40 percent GLA, SONOVA 400 has more than four times the GLA concentration of evening primrose oil and two times the concentration of borage oil. The result is a nutritional supplement that delivers desired health benefits in fewer capsules.
In early 2010 Arcadia completed the first commercial production of SONOVA 400. Receipt of regulatory clearance in Canada further expands the company's market and enables product access to more people who want its demonstrated health benefits.
"People around the world have expressed their desire for a better, more convenient source of GLA. By completing Health Canada's initial assessment of SONOVA 400, providing the necessary information supporting its safety, quality and efficacy, and by meeting the Agency's specific safety criteria, we can now offer even more consumers a new choice in how they want to receive the demonstrated health benefits of GLA," said Eric Rey, president and CEO of Arcadia. "The Health Canada clearance is another important milestone in the growth of our nutrition business. We are making further investments to help us capitalize on what we see as a significant opportunity to apply new agricultural technologies to the development of products that improve the lives of people worldwide."
SONOVA 400 is marketed and sold by Bioriginal Food and Science Corporation, a global provider of essential fatty acid (EFA) solutions, under an exclusive distribution agreement with Arcadia.
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