Isoflavone producer Novogen has been issued a US patent for the use of soy material made from ground soy hypocotyl, to contain at least one isoflavone, in dietary supplements.
The company has licensed use of the isoflavone source to DuPont Protein Technologies. The ingredient will be used by Solae, DuPont's new joint venture with soybean processor Bunge, to develop soy-based products.
Novogen currently extracts isoflavones from red clover for use in its dietary supplements Promensil, Rimostil and Trinovin. But the company's intellectual property also includes certain dietary supplements with isoflavones extracted from soy. The new patent will extend the cover for soy to include soy hypocotyls, which are an approved food and do not need to have the isoflavones chemically extracted.
Novogen received a milestone royalty payment of $1.3 million under the license agreement earlier this month.
Novogen research director Professor Alan Husband said the soy hypocotyl patent further demonstrated the company's growing intellectual property portfolio and ensured Novogen's position in the world market for isoflavone products.
Novogen also currently has an anti-cancer compound, Phenoxodiol, in human Phase II clinical trials at its subsidiary Marshall Edwards in the US and Australia, including a trial underway at the Yale University School of Medicine.
DuPont's recently announced 70 per cent joint venture with Bunge is expected to have an initial annual revenue of $800 million and will include the further development of soybeans with improved quality traits.