Neptune Technologies & Bioressources Inc. announced that the patent, “KRILL EXTRACTS FOR PREVENTION AND/OR TREATMENT OF CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES,” was successfully issued in Europe, marking an integral achievement in eliminating competition of other entities focused on krill extract in the European cardiovascular market.

The issuance of the patent is expected to thwart unregulated marketing of krill oil and relative products.

“Recently, we observed players cheating on the market and misleading consumers by selling krill oil in Europe without any regulatory approval. We also noticed that they advertise unproven health benefits with their products as well as infringe on our patents. This was surprising until we realized who were involved. These situations will be addressed as required,” Henri Harland, CEO and president of Neptune stated in the press release.

The company also announced that the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) signed the approval of Neptune Krill Oil as a Novel Food and PARNUTS for commercialization in the EU.

Dr. Tina Sampalis, chief scientific officer of Neptune, explained the details and benefit of the novel food designation.

“The placing in the EU market of novel food or novel food ingredients, which have not been authorized or notified within the framework of Regulation 258/97, will have as a consequence the immediate withdrawal of the non-compliant products from the EU market by the competent national authorities of the Member States by notification of the Commission through the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF). This is in addition to any other liabilities that can be deducted from the Member States’ national legislation. Moreover, violating Neptune’s rights by infringing on any of its patents by any players in the krill oil market is also considered a legal offence,” Dr. Sampalis stated in the press release.

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