Lonza Adds DHA Biz to its Supplement Line-Up 36252

Lonza Adds DHA Biz to its Supplement Line-Up

BASEL, SwitzerlandLonza GroupLtd. has purchased the DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) business from Dallas-basedCelanese Corp., a global ingredient and specialty chemical supplier. Theacquisition includes certain proprietary knowledge, expertise, patents andregistration in major global markets, including North America, Europe and Asia.Financial terms of the sale were not disclosed.

Nutrinova, Celaneses performance products division, hadbeen exploring the DHA sale since July 2005, when it announced a desire to focuson its core sweetener and food protection business. Its two-yearold,microalgae-derived DHA has been only a small market product, as high materialsprices and safety approval costs have left most of the omega-3 market to marineoils. However, according to Celanese, vegetarian DHA oil offers better sensoryproperties, and the growth rates of vegetarian DHA are expected to even outpaceother omega-3 sources, including marine fish oils.

Nutrinova DHA will join Lonzas existing products niacin(vitamin B3) and L-carnitine (branded as L-Carnipure), and is expected tobroaden the companys worldwide distribution channels. The company said theDHA business is synergistic with its niacin and carnitine brands; all threeingredients benefit some of the same health conditions, such as cardiovascularhealth. In a released statement, Lonza stated Nutrinovas superior DHAtechnology, talented workforce and experience in relevant markets make it anexcellent complement.