The use of fermented red yeast rice as a flavoring ingredient and food preservative is also gaining popularity in Germany and some European countries during the last fifteen years. Aside from the coloring effects, adding red yeast rice to meat products has preserving effects better than the usual nitrite.
In the 1970's, a Japanese scientist discovered that selected strains of Monascus Purpureus yeast on fermentation with rice produce certain metabolites, known collectively as Monacolins, which can effectively inhibit HMG-CoA reductase, the enzyme that is responsible for cholesterol production in the liver.
In the 1980’s, Professor Zhang Maoliang of Peking University identified and patented specific strains of Monascus purpureus yeast which when fermented under strict control produce the right mix of monacolins to have optimal effect on cholesterol reduction without the adverse effects of undesirable by-products. Unresearched fermentation of certain strains of red yeast could result in the production of toxic by-products such as citrinin. In the years that followed, Professor Zhang and his team from Peking University in collaboration with leading medical institutions throughout China, carried out extensive clinical research on the efficacy and safety of red yeast rice in reducing cholesterol. These researches led to the invention of two proprietary red yeast formulations, including Xuezhikang™ which is patented.
In 1994, WBL Corporation and Peking University formed a US$9 million joint-venture company, Wearnes Peking University Biotech Co. (WPU) to further develop and market the inventions of Professor Zhang. More clinical studies were conducted in China and the USA to establish the clinical efficacy of the products.
In China, Xuezhikang™ is marketed as a Chinese Medicine with the same status as Zocor, Mevacor or any statin-based drugs currently being sold by the established pharmaceutical companies. The launch of Xuezhikang™ was a success. Within 3 to 4 years, the turnover exceeds 100 million RMBs and the company has been profitable since its formation.
In the USA, Pharmanex markets the raw form of WPU red yeast rice, less potent and 100% natural, as a food supplement under the brand name of Cholestin™. In Korea, Wearnes Biotech and Medicals (1998) Pte Ltd (WBM) markets WPU red yeast rice as a dietary supplement under the brand name HypoCol™ instead of Cholestin™. It now has more than 50% of the red yeast rice market in Korea. The market is expected to grow significantly as the public becomes aware of the relationship between red yeast rice and cholesterol management.
In Taiwan, WBM markets HypoCol™ under the brand name of Lipastin. This product was soft launched in Taiwan in April this year. NatureWise Biotech and Medicals (NBM), a joint- venture between WBM and CY Huang & Company, will eventually be marketing HypoCol™ in Taiwan when ‘Functional Food’ status is obtained from the Ministry of Health. In addition, clinical trials are also being carried out on Xuezhikang™ by NBM in order to obtain the status of ‘Prescription TCM’. This will allow Xuezhikang™ to be sold in Taiwan as a prescription Chinese Medicine reimbursable by the National Health Insurance.
In Singapore, HypoCol™ has just obtained Ministry of Health approval under a new category called Chinese Proprietary Medicine, CPM. HypoCol™ is produced in Singapore under Good Manufacturing Practice and complies with the high standards of CPM requirements. The approval of this product in Singapore ahead of many other countries is a significant development in Singapore and perhaps in the world. It reflects our nations’s willingness and ability to support the development of an industry for modernized, evidence-based TCM. WBM hopes to contribute to the growth of this industry, which is in line with the government’s emphasis on life sciences and biotechnology research and development.
HypoCol™ will be launched subsequently in Hong Kong, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines. WBM is at different stages of negotiation with distributors in these countries. We believe the success of HypoCol™ will reinforce our nation’s position in this evolving industry.