BURLINGTON, Ma., Oct. 25, 2021 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Akeso Biomedical, Inc., announced today that the company has obtained authorization in the European Union to market CI-FER® as a zootechnical feed additive for piglets and minor porcine species. Akeso Biomedical is a privately held company developing novel, non-antibiotic feed additive technologies to improve gut health and animal performance.
CI-FER® [iron (III) citrate chelate] for piglets is Akeso's first product for the EU market based on its Fe3C technology. The company conducted five efficacy studies in the EU to demonstrate that piglets receiving CI-FER® grew faster, exhibiting higher body weights and better feed efficiency than control piglets. The improved performance was also seen when comparing CI-FER® to other iron sources.
The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) concluded that the effects of CI-FER® could not be ascribed to a nutritional effect only since CI-FER® delivered better performance than other iron sources when piglet feeds were supplemented at the same iron concentrations. Three trials demonstrated better fecal quality in weaned piglets that received CI-FER®. In one trial, oxidative stress parameters and gene expression in the mid-jejunum and ascending colon of weaned piglets were measured, and showed significant improvements, indicative of post-weaning health benefits.
The Fe3C technology was discovered at the University of Nottingham by Dr. Mahdavi, Professor Soultanas, and Professor Ala'Aldeen. This technology – targeted at reducing pathogen biofilm formation at gut mucosal interfaces - is protected by an intellectual property portfolio of 15 issued patents. A number of challenge studies carried out in broiler chickens with CI-FER® have demonstrated significant reductions in enteric bacteria associated with animal and human diseases, notably Campylobacter, Salmonella, Clostridium and E. coli, as well as improved zootechnical performance, and reduced mortality.
Simon Williams, CEO of Akeso Biomedical, said, "We are very excited to bring CI-FER® to the European market ahead of the EU ban on medicinal use of zinc oxide, widely used at high veterinary doses to improve gut health, reduce diarrhea, and enhance performance."
About Akeso Biomedical, Inc.
Akeso Biomedical, Inc. is an animal health and food safety company developing new solutions to improve animal welfare and performance and to prevent foodborne illnesses. Akeso uses a proprietary broad-spectrum iron chelate chemistry known as Fe3C. The Company's product pipeline includes Fe3C feed additives designed to improve intestinal health and nutrient absorption in food animals, by reducing carriage of enteropathogens, including Salmonella, Campylobacter, Clostridium, and E. coli, among others. For more information, please visit https://www.akesobiomedical.com/.
Akeso Biomedical, Inc. is a VIC Technology Venture Development™ portfolio company.
About VIC Technology Venture Development, LLC
VIC Technology Venture Development creates innovative new companies with world-changing science- and engineering-based technologies. VIC carefully selects and licenses technologies from universities and research institutions worldwide, then partners technology entrepreneurs with VIC's business and technology experts and allocates seed capital through the national VIC Investor Network. In addition, VIC provides its portfolio companies with senior management expertise, extensive knowledge of technology startups, and proven processes to execute business strategies, including legal, financial, operations, marketing, capital acquisition, and technology management. For more information, please visit https://victech.com.
Media Contact
Simon Williams, Akeso Biomedical, Inc., 479.571.2592, [email protected]
SOURCE Akeso Biomedical, Inc.
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