Phytopharm and Hoodia Gordonii

Phytopharm

Phytopharm is a leading British company in the development of Botanical pharmaceuticals. It has got four drug discovery platforms in full development under the categories of obesity and metabolic syndrome, neural and muscular degeneration, inflammation and dermatitis.

Hoodia, CSIR and Phytopharm UK

Hoodia has a very long history of being used by San Bushmen for 1000′s of years to control hunger and thirst during long hunting trips. But the actual research on the appetite suppressing quality of Hoodia started only in 1963.

In 1963, scientists at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), South Africa’s national laboratory, began researching on appetite suppressing property of Hoodia Gordonii.

The South African scientists were working with a British company named Phitopharm. During the research they could isolate an active ingredient in Hoodia Gordonii, a steroidal glycoside, which they named p57.

They conducted a clinical trial by injecting P57 to the brain of rats which made them to eat less.

Later it was proved that, this P57 is the only molecule in Hoodia Gordonii plant that can suppress appetite.

And they also found that no other Hoodia species (there are 13 hoodia species) other than Hoodia Gordonii has this miracle molecule P57.

Hoodia Gordonii and Phytopharma UK

CSIR obtained a patent for the active molecule P57 for the application as a weight-loss material in 1995. They licensed it to Phytopharm which has spent more than $20 million on hoodia research.

Phytopharm conducted a clinical research involving 18 human volunteers that found  that hoodia consumption reduced food intake by about 1000 calories per day.

Eventually pharmaceutical giant Pfizer learned about hoodia and expressed interest in developing a hoodia drug.

Hoodia, Phytopharm and Pfizer

In 1998, Phytopharm sub-licensed the rights to Pfizer, the US pharmaceutical giant for the development and global commercialization of P57, for $21 million.

Pfizer returned the rights to hoodia to Phytopharm in 2003, as they found producing diet products by isolating Hoodia Gordonii’s P57 unfeasible.

Hoodia P57, Phytopharm and Uniliver

Now Phytoparm is working with Uniliver. The Phytopharm and Unilever collaboration began in late 2004. In April of 2006, Phytopharm announced that phase 1 of the 5 stage research and development program had been completed.

Till now they have not launched any Hoodia P57 weight loss product into the market. It might take a couple of years before Phytopharm hoodia or Unilever hoodia products reach the market as the research is still going on.

Are the Hoodia Products in the market today are manufactured against Phytopharm’s P 57 Patent right?

Now you must be wondering, Phytofarm alone can P 57 diet products as per patent rights, how come there are 100′s Hoodia diet products on the market claiming to have Hoodia P 57.

Read " Hoodia and P 57 patent" for details.

How to find genuineness of Hoodia Pills?

Hoodia scam Warning

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