Qualitas Health meets major commercial milestone with Almega PL

IMPERIAL, Texas, Dec. 2, 2014 /PRNewswire/ --Qualitas Health announced the launch of the first consumer products based upon Almega PL, marking the company's transition from research and development into successful commercialization of the company's premium algal omega-3 oil.

Within the past 18 months, Qualitas Health has completed all necessary stages of product development through commercialization, including research and development, performing clinical studies, protecting intellectual property, obtaining regulatory approvals, scale-up of algae growth and manufacturing, collaboration with consumer brands, logistics and sales. Through its completion of these benchmarks, Qualitas Health has emerged as the first company manufacturing omega-3 nutrition ingredients using phototropic algae technology to successfully commercialize.

"Making the transition from R&D to commercial scale is always a challenge and this is a first, major step. Meeting this commercial milestone—successful commercialization—squarely places Qualitas Health as a global leader in next-generation omega-3s," said Yuri Shoshan, CEO of Qualitas Health. "These first two products demonstrate the wide range of possibilities available with Almega PL – from a standalone Almega PL product with a vegetarian EPA-only offering, to blends of Almega PL with other algal ingredients to create a vegetarian and sustainable alternative to fish or krill oils. We look forward to continuing to work with dietary supplement brands to develop products with Almega PL, and expect to see several additional consumer product launches within the first half of 2015."

The initial consumer products include: Almega PL, introduced by Dr. David Williams and sold by Healthy Directions, that contains EPA and polar lipids from Almega PL. This product is positioned as 100% vegetarian EPA omega-3 for mood and heart health. Healthy Directions is a direct-to-consumer nutritional supplement retailer and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Helen of Troy Limited (NASDAQ: HELE).  And Veggie Omega-3+ from Dr. Mark Merriman at Rejuvenation Science Labs, which is a blend of Almega PL, algal DHA and astaxanthin. Veggie Omega-3+ is positioned as a fully vegetarian LC-PUFA omega-3.

Almega PL, manufactured by Qualitas Health, is a vegetarian, EPA-rich, polar lipid-structured omega-3 oil. Sourced from Nannochloropsis oculata, a non-GMO strain of microalgae selected for its high level of EPA omega-3 and unique polar-lipid structure, Almega PL contains omega-3 fatty acids with phospholipids and glycolipids that provide superior digestibility and incorporation into tissues and membranes. This has been demonstrated by results of published clinical studies comparing omega-3 uptake of Almega PL to krill oil. Sustainably produced, using natural sunlight, brackish water, non-arable land and low-energy processes, Almega PL originates from a farmed microalgae source of omega-3 that doesn't exploit the fragile marine ecosystem.

"After many years in the algae industry, and understanding how these amazing organisms have the possibility to revolutionize the world, it is thrilling to see us meet a major commercial milestone," added Dr. Isaac Berzin, Qualitas Health Founder and Chief Technology Officer. "Creating omega-3s from the original marine source – algae – provides a sustainable and 'green' alternative for the future. Algae is one of the only solutions to meet the distinct public-health need for the health-promoting benefits of omega-3s. Our progress shows that in addition to the technical feasibility to grow and process algae at commercial scale, there is a giant market demand for Almega PL."

About Qualitas Health

Qualitas Health develops high-value vegetarian food supplements and pharmaceutical ingredients based on microalgae. With experience and expertise in algae cultivation and extraction gained from the biofuels sector, Qualitas has developed a unique and proprietary technology for strain selection, sustainable algae farming, harvesting and oil processing. This allows for the effective production of premium omega-3 algae oil for a wide range of applications. For more information: www.qualitas-health.com, www.almegapl.com.

Contact: Kathleen Murphy, BrandHive, 801-243-2016, [email protected]

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SOURCE Qualitas Health

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