Andrographis Ingredient Granted EU Patent for Possible Alzheimer’s Disease Benefit

Photograph by Llez/Wikimedia Commons/CC-BY-SA-3.0.

HP Ingredients (Bradenton, FL) has been granted a patent from the European Union (EU) for its NeuroActin cognitive-health ingredient, a specific extract of Andrographis paniculata, following animal studies showing potential benefits for use in Alzheimer’s disease.

The EU patent application, titled “Treatment of Alzheimer’s and Cognitive Impairment with Andrographolides,” suggests the following claim for andrographolide, which is a labdane diterpenoid that is isolated from the stem and leaves of Andrographis paniculata. The claim is that it “may be used in a method for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease dementia in humans, wherein andrographolide is administered in a therapeutically effective amount as a daily oral dosage from one to four mg per kg of body weight.”

The application also included the company’s own clinical studies which indicate that andrographolide prevented and even reversed the neuropathy in a mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease. Specifically, andrographolide helped recover mice’s spatial memory function, decreased the levels of amyloid β-peptide (Aβ) plaques in the mice’s brains, and increased field excitatory post-synaptic potentials. In the patent application, the study authors wrote: “Our results suggest that andrographolide might be used in a potential preventative and reversible therapy during the progression state of Alzheimer’s disease.”

While FDA regulations prevent the company from marketing NeuroActin as a method for treating Alzheimer’s disease, the company said that the EU patent does support NeuroActin’s efficacy for cognitive support. Explained Annie Eng, CEO, HP Ingredients, in a press release: “This is significant news because it demonstrates the increasingly sophisticated technological research can be accumulated to make specific claims. Although we recognize that the FDA prohibits marketing NeuroActin for any disease state, this EU patent is encouraging as it supports that NeuroActin is an effective supplement for supporting healthy brain structure and function as well as cognitive acuity and memory.”

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