Daiwa Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.：Announce "NKCP" in London

Daiwa Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. Announce "NKCP" in London

In "Natural Products Europe 2000," an exhibition held in London from April 14th through 17th, 2000, Daiwa Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. (Daiwa) exhibited "NKCP" (Nattokinase compound) which they have developed and plan to launch soon. At the exhibition, there was a rush of enquiries about the product from other companies exhibiting as well as from reporters and Yasuo Ninomiya, president of Daiwa was kept busy responding to them.

"NKCP" includes "Nattokinase," an enzyme with fibrinolytic function, and which Daiwa has developed for prevention of thrombosis.

"Natto", or fermented soybeans, is one of the Japanese foods which foreigners have shown the least liking for to date. However, "NKCP" does not have the distinctive flavor and stickiness of Natto. Moreover, the form of the product is a white powder unlike its original shape. This revolutionary development is the result of our R & D and appears to be the reason for totally capturing the popularity of the exhibition hall.

When making NKCP into a product, Mr. Ninomiya expressed his expectation that there would be an extensive market, saying, "Sales of the product will be aggressively developed not only in Japan but also in the US and European countries where there are many patients suffering from thrombosis."

In the exhibition, "Lentin Plus 1000" and "Lentin Plus Gamma", which are Daiwa's main products having as their chief ingredient rice bran arabinoxylan, were also on show and both drew a lot of attention.

The schedule of the exhibition was: Day 1 - A meeting titled "Global Market 2000"
Day 2 - Receptions
Day 3 and Day 4 - Displays at each exhibition booth.

Most of the products exhibited were organic and health foods whose sales have grown by as much as ten fold in the last ten years in the UK and the US. World manufacturers have proposed herbal treatments and supplements to replace existing remedies. In the UK, a category covering food for specified health use, as in Japan, is being discussed but is not yet in place. The appeal of such products to consumers are quiet and conservative, and would not be received well. Japan and the US take lead in this sector.

Approximately 250 food and pharmaceutical manufacturers from all over the world, a doubling over the previous year, exhibited at the fair. Almost 500 types of product were displayed at an exhibition area set up in the center of the exhibition hall. Products exhibited from Japan included green tea and soybean curds. Daiwa was the only participant in the fair as a company, and no other Japanese company exhibited.

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