The patent, entitled "Process for Preparing Water Soluble Diterpenes and Their Applications", was granted by the State Intellectual Property Office of the People’s Republic of China, and compliments the patents on this process already held in USA, Eurasia, India, Philippines, Mexico, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa, and Uzbekistan. The patent is Sabinsa’s 66th patent. The company has a further 50 patents pending.
The patent involves increasing the solubility of the forskolin molecule by 6,000 times, said the company, and this greatly increases the range of applications the ingredient can be used in, said Dr Lakshmi Prakash, Sabinsa VP of innovation & business development.
“Aqueous formulation facilitates the safe and effective use of forskolin as a natural ophthalmic drug in the management of glaucoma (approved in India), as well as in dermatological and related applications,” said Dr Prakash.
The patent extends the potential health benefits of forskolin beyond its well-established activity in weight management. Sabinsa began research into the potential benefits of forskolin, prepared from the herb Coleus forskohlii, in 1996 for weight management. Positive results from a clinical trial led to the filing of an intent-to-use application for the trademark, ForsLean. The product name was derived from "Fors" from forskolin and "Lean" for lean body mass.
ForsLean is currently available in China, but not the form produced by the technology in the patent, Dr Prakash told NutraIngredients-USA.
Indeed, the patent refers to applications that can include pharmaceutical uses. “Water solubility is particularly critical to the applications mentioned,” said Dr Prakash. “Pharmaceutical companies that researched forskolin for applications in glaucoma for example, could not commercialize these compositions, because of the solubility issue - suspensions of forskolin caused irritation,” she added.