MIGDAL HA'EMEQ, Israel, Feb. 3, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Enzymotec Ltd. (Nasdaq:ENZY), a developer, manufacturer and marketer of innovative bio-active lipid ingredients, announced today that it was granted a patent by the Canadian Patent and Trademark Office for the use of INFAT® for the promotion of intestinal development and maturation, and further announced that it was granted a patent by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for the use of INFAT® in enhancing infant bone strength.
The Canadian patent covers the use of lipid composition, comprising a mixture of synthetic triglycerides with 15-55% palmitic acid, for the preparation of a nutritional, pharmaceutical or nutraceutical composition, for promoting intestinal development, maturation, adaptation and differentiation.
The US patent covers a method of increasing bone strength, comprising administering a composition comprising a fat with 15-55% palmitic acid, of which at least 30% is at SN2 position, to an infant who is at risk of impaired bone strength.
"We are proud to have another patent granted for INFAT® in the US and are very pleased to have a patent granted for INFAT® in Canada, which validates our growing recognition in international markets," said Dr. Ariel Katz, President and Chief Executive Officer of Enzymotec Ltd. "Our scientific team is committed to expanding our intellectual property and delivering value to customers around the world."
INFAT® is sold and marketed by Advanced Lipids, a joint venture of AAK and Enzymotec, it is a clinically-proven sn-2 palmitate ingredient that more closely resembles the fat structure and properties of human milk fat. This unique fat has positive effects on beneficial gut flora, intestinal health, infant bone strength, stool hardness and infant crying, and enables easy digestion and optimized uptake of calcium, fat recovery and energy.
About Enzymotec Ltd.
Enzymotec is a leading global supplier of specialty lipid-based products and solutions. The Company develops, manufactures and markets innovative bio-active lipid ingredients, as well as final products, based on sophisticated processes and technologies. For more information, visit www.enzymotec.com.
About Advanced Lipids
Advanced Lipids is a joint venture of AAK and Enzymotec that was established for the marketing, sale and distribution of INFAT® to the infant nutrition industry. Advanced Lipids offers INFAT® as a concentrate form or as any tailored oil blend enriched with Sn-2-palmitate (high sn-2). INFAT® is produced in AAK's state of the art production facilities in Sweden based on proprietary enzymatic technology developed by Enzymotec. www.advancedlipids.com
Forward-Looking Statement
This release may contain forward-looking statements, which express the current beliefs and expectations of Company management. Such statements involve a number of known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause our future results, performance or achievements to differ significantly from the results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause or contribute to such differences the following risks: a high proportion of the sales of our InFat product is sold to end users by a single company in China; we rely on our Swedish joint venture partner to manufacture InFat, and certain matters related to the joint venture are the subject of disagreement; our gross profits may be adversely affected if we are only able to obtain lower quality krill meal; our ability to obtain krill may be affected by conservation regulation or initiatives; we are dependent on a single facility that houses the majority of our operations; we may not be able to expand our production or processing capabilities or satisfy growing demand; our product development cycle is lengthy and uncertain, and our development or commercialization efforts for our products may be unsuccessful; we are subject to significant and increasing government regulations regarding the sale and marketing of our products; we may not be able to protect our proprietary technology or prevent its unauthorized use by third parties; we are currently subject to litigation, and in the future may become subject to additional litigation, regarding intellectual property rights; and other factors discussed under the heading "Risk Factors" in the Company's final prospectus for its initial public offering filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on September 30, 2013. Forward-looking statements in this release are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are made only as of the date hereof, and the company undertakes no obligation to update or revise the forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.