Developed by AOR, RYR Ankascin -568-R is the only patented, clinically studied, regulatory compliant, and commercially available red yeast rice (RYR) extract free of monacolin K.
 
RYR is a natural health product typically used as a secondary option for statins, which are a class of drug prescribed by physicians for cardiovascular conditions such as high cholesterol. Despite being a natural product, conventional RYR products on the market have caused controversy due to the presence of monacolin K.
 
Monacolin K is naturally occurring statin and one of the active compounds present in RYR, which produces similar side effects to lovastatin, which is found in the cholesterol-lowering prescription drugs such as Mevacor. Some patients on prolonged or high doses of these statins can experience negative side effects including; myopathy, muscle symptoms including pain and weakness and rhabdomyolsis, a condition in which muscle fibers break down, releasing harmful substances into the bloodstream which can lead to liver and kidney damage.
 
RYR Ankascin -568-R is a new product from Canadian company, Advanced Orthomolecular Research (AOR), which unlike any other product on the market is completely free of monacolin K. RYR Ankascin -568-R is produced by fermenting rice with red yeast Monascus purpureus (a species of mold) and then subjecting it to a patented extraction process that removes the toxic bi-product citrinin. The new monacolin K-free RYR Ankascin -568-R product offers benefits targeting multiple symptoms of metabolic syndrome without the negative side effects associated with statin drug usage. RYR Ankascin -568-R has successfully completed two human clinical trials for cholesterol reduction, one preliminary study for blood pressure and one study for blood sugar reduction. Further, a small human pilot study has been completed for reducing various biomarkers of Alzheimer’s disease and additional studies are underway.