Dr. Mercola Selects Capsugel, Licaps for Supplement Formulations

MORRISTOWN, N.J. Capsugel will provide formulation support and dosage delivery for a krill oil line and other key supplements for mercola.com. Considered to be one of the top health and nutrition websites in the world with more than 6 million unique visitors a month, mercola.com provides health articles, wellness products, and a widely-read natural health newsletter under the ownership and direction of Joseph M. Mercola, DO, an Illinois-based osteopathic physician. Capsugels proprietary Licaps® dosage form technology was selected for many of Dr. Mercolas supplements such as krill oil and ubiquinol.

"We are pleased to offer our targeted state-of-the-art solutions for Dr. Mercolas supplement delivery challenges," said Peter Zambetti, global director of business development for Capsugel. "Our cutting-edge formulation scientists and application-specific dosage forms aim to improve the effectiveness and shelf life of their popular supplement products. Our scalability for their significant supplement volume coupled with best-in-class service and quality will be a win-win for Dr. Mercola and consumers alike."

The Licaps dosage forms odor protection system uses Fusion Technology to create a hermetically bonded capsule that effectively masks the strong taste and odor of krill oil. Results of a Capsugel consumer survey showed twice as many consumers preferred krill oil delivered in Licaps capsule technology than other dosage forms when it came to odor and taste; Licaps were preferred three-times more than softgels.

"Krill oil contains a high concentration of phospholipids which poses manufacturing challenges in other dosage forms," said Stan Glab, formulator and new product development manager for Capsugel. "The Licaps capsule technology, which flushes the capsule with nitrogen after filling to minimize oxygen exposure and aid in long term stability, coupled with our OceanCaps fish gelatin capsules, provide a unique all-marine product that provides a better oxygen barrier than softgels."

Mercola commented, "[Capsugel] promotes safety, bioavailability, manufacturing ease and cost-effectiveness for our products. Capsugel's Licaps capsule Fusion Technology provides for top level product integrity and product differentiation for all types of formulations."