Wednesday, January 31, 2024, 12:40 p.m
Eschborn – The demand for vegetarian and vegan food preparations is growing continuously: from 2021 to 2022 alone, their sales increased from 458 million to 537 million euros, an increase of around 17% [1]. This change in the interests of health and animal welfare is no longer just driving the food sector forward: treatment alternatives without active animal ingredients are also becoming increasingly relevant in the medical sector. “The fact that a vegetarian paradigm shift is also taking place in doctor’s offices and pharmacies is reflected in the significantly increased demand for our vegetarian medicine NORTASE®,” explains Björn Bradtmöller, pharmacist and managing director of REPHA GmbH Biological Medicines. With NORTASE®, the company provides effective digestive enzymes that are biotechnologically extracted from rice fungal cultures and highly purified. The rhizoenzymes are not of animal origin and are used to treat the body’s deficiency of digestive enzymes in the context of exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI). “A fundamental rethinking is not only reflected in sales,” the managing director continued. “Direct patient inquiries about our vegetarian rhizoenzymes are also constantly increasing. It is important to us to fully serve this increased patient interest.”
Animal active ingredients endanger adherence to reservations
Around 43% of patients with reservations about animal products would rather forego therapy altogether than take medicines containing animal substances [2]. The list of substances that come from animals and are often viewed with great reservations by vegetarian patients is extensive: heparin for thrombosis prophylaxis, chondroitin sulfate to promote cartilage development, vaccines, omega-3 fatty acids from fish oil, vitamin D3 or digestive enzymes from the pancreas of fattening pigs. The latter pancreatin can also become a problem for non-vegetarians who, for religious reasons, avoid foods that explicitly come from pigs. Enzymes that do not correspond to ideological ideas are often not taken, jeopardizing the success of the therapy, which can be accompanied by persistent gastrointestinal symptoms and malnutrition.
Exocrine pancreatic insufficiency: ideology-conforming therapy is a must!
In contrast to some other animal active ingredients, there is an effective alternative for vegetarians and those with religious reservations using enzymes of fungal origin to reduce EPI-related gastrointestinal complaints such as steatorrhea, meteorism and dyspepsia. NORTASE® minimizes the recurring symptoms of exocrine pancreatic insufficiency, even in cases of severe functional impairment. Due to their natural acid stability (pH range 3 to 9) [3,4] The rhizoenzymes already work in the stomach [4] and in the duodenum, even in the case of unphysiological hyperacidity. The search for treatment alternatives using animal ingredients is extremely important for indications such as EPI, says Dr. Petra Sandow, general practitioner from Berlin. “If equally effective medicines without animal active ingredients are available, I will actively discuss this with patients. Because reservations about medical treatments must also be taken into account in order to prevent unauthorized discontinuation of the medication.” This is the only way to achieve maximum therapeutic success and to take the patient’s wishes into account, the expert continues.
Sources
[1] (last access: January 25, 2024)
[2] Vissamsetti B. et al. Postgraduate Medical Journal 88: 497-798 (2012)
[3] Fieker A. et al. Clin Exp Gastroenterol. 4:55–73 (2011)
[4] Ogawa Tomonari. et al. Diegstion & Absorption 21:12-15 (1998)
NORTASE®
Application areas: Disturbances of exocrine pancreatic function associated with maldigestion. Composition: 1 hard capsule contains: Rizolipase (lipase from Rhizopus oryzae) corresponding to 7,000 FIP-U., Protease from Aspergillus oryzae at least 54 FIP-U., Amylase from Aspergillus oryzae at least 700 FIP-U.. Other ingredients: Hydroxypropylmethylcellulose (HPMC) , lactose monohydrate, magnesium stearate, dyes: titanium dioxide E 171, iron (III) oxide E 172. Contains lactose Contraindications: Acute pancreatitis, acute attack of chronic pancreatitis, known hypersensitivity to mold (mold allergy) or any of the other ingredients. Side effects: Rare: non-specific side effects such as diarrhea, nausea, constipation and upper abdominal discomfort as well as allergic respiratory and skin reactions after occupational sensitization with mold enzymes. Pharmaceutic entrepreneur: Repha GmbH Biological Medicines, Alt-Godshorn 87, 30855 Langenhagen. As of 03/21.
www.nortase.de
Editorial note: Gender-neutral wording
Gender-specific spelling is not used in this press release solely for better readability. All personal formulations in this text should therefore be interpreted in a gender-neutral manner.