Valensa expands private label offerings with new joint health chew

Moerck has said in the past Valensa was known primarily as a saw palmetto supplier and as an extract manufacturer employing supercritical CO2 technology. While saw palmetto is still on the sales sheet and the CO2 technique is still a mainstay of the company’s manufacturing process, the goal now is to offer more formulated products for private branding across a broad range of health indications, he said.

The new product, called Flex Pro ES, is a chewable addition to the company’s line of joint health offerings. The product is something of a three legged stool, Moerck said, providing ingredients that help build connective tissue, stimulate an immune response and help moderate inflammation. The product features Flexuron, a proprietary form of hyaluronate that Moerck said stimulates the immune response to help get the joint repair ball rolling. It also includes hydrolyzed eggshell membrane manufactured by Biova that delivers collagen, elastin and elastin precursors that supply the joint repair raw material. And it employs Valensa’s algae-derived astaxanthin which is branded as Zanthin Natural Astaxanthin, which with its strong anti-oxidation bona fides helps to keep the inflammation picture in check.

Proprietary data​

Moerck said that Valensa takes a different tack than many in the industry with respect to the data backing the claims it makes on its ingredients.  The evidence that backs Flexuron’s ability to poke the immune system into action in a focused way is an example.

“It acts as a stimulant for the immune system. It’s well known that hyaluronic acid and its derivatives wind up going to your connective tissue, whether its in the skin or in the joints. Flexuron causes an immune response and basically your joint repairs itself,” ​Moerck said.

But the data that proves that is something the company holds close to the vest, he said.

“We do make data available to customers under confidentiality agreements. And we’d give it to a regulator if they had a question about a claim. But what we are finding is that nobody respects patents in this industry, so we keep it confidential.  We find that is more powerful than a patent,”​ he said.

Moerck said the chewable format helps meet the needs for patients who have difficulty with or a distaste for swallowing pills. But the formulation, which is sweetened with sorbitol, a noncaloric sugar alcohol, gets around the issue with many gummies that are often sweetened with sugar for both taste and functional reasons.

“If we want to do the best job for people we shouldn’t have sugar in joint health products because many of the people suffering joint issues are also diabetic,” ​he said.