The acquisition brings the patents and manufacturing of InterHealth’s UC-II denatured collagen ingredient in-house, which Chick Cart had previously licensed exclusively to InterHealth for use in its UC-II joint health product.
“InterHealth has a portfolio of branded functional ingredients supported by strong clinical data,” said Andrew Rosen, managing partner of private equity firm Kainos Capital, which acquired InterHealth in November. “UC-II is sold to a global customer base and continues to generate strong growth in the marketplace. This acquisition will better enable InterHealth to invest in additional production capacity to support the growth of UC-II going forward.”
Since last year's release of a UC-II study showing improved joint flexibility and mobility on healthy subjects, interest in the ingredient has increased, "especially among larger companies who are currently evaluating UC-II for their brands," Jay Martin, senior vice president of global sales and marketing, told NutraIngredients-USA. "Companies that have released a UC-II product include Nutrigold, BeneFlex and GNC, among others."
The ingredient is now in well over 20 brands, which also include NOW Foods, TFX Health, Solgar and Schiff.
The Chick Cart acquisition also falls in line with the firm’s stated plan of growing the business through acquisitions and strategic partnerships, built on a strong network of research partnerships. Completed in March, the deal won't affect any employees at the facility and operations will continue as normal, a spokesperson told us.