Lonza Inc: Growing Its Product Arsenal With Sound Science

Over the past few years, Lonza Inc., Fairlawn, NJ, has undergone some significant changes resulting in its designation as a formidable competitor in the nutraceuticals business. With a renewed enthusiasm, a deeper product portfolio and a unified platform from which to tackle the market, the company strives to serve not only its customers but also consumers.

The company’s main products include L-carnitine, nicotinates, including niacin and niacinamide, and zinc carnosine. While separate groups within the organization once handled these products, they were recently brought together under the umbrella of Lonza’s Nutrition Group. Headed by director Reto Rieder, the group’s main goal is to grow its product base through the application of sound science. Discussing the recent reorganization, Mr. Rieder said, “Previously, Lonza structured its operations in line with its production processes. If a particular product was produced chemically, like the company’s niacin, then it was handled by one division, while those products produced by fermentation fell under the supervision of a different group.”

Speaking of products produced by fermentation, L-carnitine is one of the mainstay products for Lonza and probably the product for which the company is most known in the nutrition industry. The crowning achievement for the company in the area of L-carnitine was its development of L-carnitine L-tartrate, which provided a very stable, non-hy­groscopic form with a high amount of L-carnitine. During the last few years, Lonza has concentrated on bulking up the science on this ingredient as well as exploring application areas such as weight management, sports nutrition, cardiovascular health and more recently, male fertility. However, it was L-carnitine’s self-affirmed generally recognized as safe status (GRAS) that gave the company the “green light” to market the ingredient to companies interested in adding it to foods such as bars and beverages. Another achievement for the company came in April this year when the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW) approved Lonza’s L-carnitine L-tartrate and L-carnitine crystalline for supplement use in Japan. On the consumer front, the company has been experimenting with a variety of consumer marketing tactics culminating in TV advertisements and infomercials, eager to create more awareness for L-carnitine and more specifically, its L-CARNIPURE® brand name.

Also receiving renewed focus over the last two years is the company’s range of nicotinates, including niacin and niacinamide. Lonza has dedicated considerable resources to ramp up its promotion of its niacin and niacinamide ingredients in hopes that it will capture a portion of the heart health market. Previously, the company sold these products as commodities, a large portion of which went to the animal feed market. The remaining 30% that went to the supplement market was positioned mainly for inclusion in multivitamins. However, it was the established and emerging science that brought new interest to the niacin category. Mr. Rieder offered, “Specifically, 42 studies have pointed to niacin as being responsible for lowering LDL cholesterol and boosting HDL cholesterol. For these reasons, it is our feeling that this product will become more prevalent over the next several years in the cholesterol arena.”

Due to Lonza’s appetite for new products, it also recently added zinc carnosine to its line up. Through an exclusive distribution agreement with a Japanese company, Lonza was able leverage the science and marketing behind zinc carnosine for the maintenance of gut health for distribution in the U.S. supplement market. This product, also known as PepZin GI™, strengthens the inner lining of the stomach helping to avoid ulcers, according to the company. PepZin GI will be distributed through companies that maintain channel exclusivity. So far, companies such as Access Business Group, GNC, Lane Labs and Metagenics have added PepZin GI to their product portfolios.

One or two years down the line Lonza hopes to extend its product portfolio even further with additional science-based, value-added ingredients for health. For now, it will concentrate on bulking up the science and creating awareness on all levels for all of its products.—R.M.W.

Lonza Inc.
17-17 Route 208 North
Fairlawn, NJ 07410
Telephone: 201-794-2640
Fax: 201-794-2695
E-mail: reto.rieder@lonza.com
Website(s): www.lonza.com; www.carnipure.com; www.carnitine.com; www.niacin.com