Ferring Pharmaceuticals and CD Investments (CDI) have signed an agreement granting Ferring exclusive European marketing rights to CDI’s VSL#3. This agreement extends Ferring’s existing rights to market the product in the UK, Italy and Canada.
VSL#3 is a food supplement, containing 450 billion live bacteria in eight different strains per sachet, which colonizes the gut and benefits from a unique formulation. Research has confirmed that probiotic bacteria modulate mucosal and systemic immune activity and epithelial function, with favorable impact on gut health.
“VSL#3 expands our existing gastroenterology portfolio and is a key part of our regional pharmabiotic strategy,” said Gilles Pluntz, senior vice president Europe-Canada, Ferring Pharmaceuticals. “This agreement complements our innovative research in the area of the human microbiome, and reflects Ferring’s commitment to enhancing the quality of life of patients with a broad range of bowel conditions.”
“We are delighted to expand our collaboration with Ferring, and build on the current success of VSL#3 in the UK, Italy and Canada,” said Luca Guarna, president of the board of directors of CD Investments. “With the company’s long heritage in gastroenterology and commitment to patients, Ferring will help make VSL#3 a successful brand across Europe and Canada.”
VSL#3 is a combination of live lactic acid bacteria that have been cultivated, freeze-dried and mixed in a very high concentration (hundreds of billions per gram). It contains eight different strains of bacteria which have been selected, cultivated in and mixed in proportions in order to optimize the functionality of the product.
To understand the role that probiotics may have in influencing health, it is important to have an appreciation of the roles of the normal intestinal microbiome. The human body is host to trillions of microbes, bacteria, virus and fungi. This vast and complex microbial community is known as the microbiota. Each of the different microorganisms in the microbiota has its own unique set of genes. The collective name for all of the genes in the microbiota is the microbiome. Rapidly evolving science has uncovered a central role of the microbiome in human health and disease.
Headquartered in Switzerland, Ferring Pharmaceuticals is a private research-driven, specialty biopharmaceutical group active in global markets.
CD Investments is a holding company with three subsidiaries worldwide, CD Investments for the European market, CD Pharma India for the Asia-Pacific market and VSL Pharmaceuticals for the North, Central and South America.