Cambridge Theranostics makes bioavailable lycopene pill
While lycopene’s antioxidant properties are well established, the large crystals it forms as a raw extract cannot be absorbed directly by the body and, until now, have proved difficult to convert into a useful form.
Scientists at university spin-out firm Cambridge Theranostics combined a potent form of lycopene, extracted from tangerine tomatoes, with a processing method developed over seven years to formulate the compound into a readily absorbable tablet called Ateronon.
While lycopene’s status as a natural extract makes it exempt from trial rules that cover drugs, a preliminary 150 person study showed it brought about a significant reduction in levels of low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) over an eight week period.
Peter Kirkpatrick, whose team are about to start a year long 200 patient study at Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge and at Harvard Medical School, US, told Medical News Today that Ateronon could be more powerful than statins.
Other observers are more cautious about the potential benefits of the lycopene pill, urging cardiac patients to wait for the results of properly controlled clinical trials before altering treatment programs.
Speaking at the British Cardiovascular Society conference where Ateronon was unveiled earlier this week, Peter Weissberg of the British Heart Foundation advocated a more measured approach.
He told the BBC that: “As always, we caution people to wait for any new drug or modified 'natural' product to be clinically proven to offer benefits before taking it.”
