NZ-created weight loss pill set for US

A Kiwi plant-based weight management supplement eight years and $20 million in the making went on sale yesterday and will launch next month in the US.

Cal-curb chief executive Sarah Kennedy said Calocurb, which was designed to help manage food cravings and support portion control at meal times, was a “game-changer”.

Plant & Food Research had received a $20m Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment grant in 2010, spread over several years, and had worked for eight years on the project, screening more than 900 plants to find the most effective, allnatural bitter compound, Kennedy said.

“A specific New Zealand hops flower extract came out on top and progressed through clinical testing to become Amarasate — the active ingredient in Calocurb,” she said.

“We have long known that bitter compounds can support a feeling of fullness or satiety, and now Calocurb’s patented capsule delivers our bitter hop extract right to where it’s most effective.”

Calocurb, which is licensed by Calcurb, went on sale in New Zealand yesterday. It will launch in the US on May 8, after which the company will look at countries such as China, South Korea and Japan.

“Obviously we wanted to launch in New Zealand first because this is our home market and the science was done here — New Zealand scientists — and we want to celebrate that.”

Kennedy said the weight control supplements market was worth US$2.1 billion ($2.9b) in the US and $20m in New Zealand.