Reliv Strengthens LunaRich Ingredient Patent

Reliv has announced that the US Patent and Trademark Office has issued an expanded composition of matter patent for LunaRich® technology. LunaRich is a Reliv-exclusive nutritional ingredient. The updated patent further protects LunaRich technology as it relates to enhancing lunasin bioactivity and its superior ability to deliver bioactive lunasin to the body. Lunasin is a naturally occurring peptide scientists have identified as the key to many of soy’s documented health benefits.

“This patent enhancement is the latest exciting development in the LunaRich story,” said Dr. Carl W. Hastings, Reliv vice chairman and chief scientific officer. “Ingredients like LunaRich that boast a spectrum of nutritional technologies often require continual patent updates, and LunaRich’s unique ability to be absorbed by the body is essential to its unparalleled efficacy. Reliv is committed to securing the strongest patent portfolio possible for this remarkable nutritional ingredient.”

Reliv holds an additional patent related to LunaRich’s mechanism of action for lowering cholesterol. Nine Reliv products have also been issued patents, with two of those having since reached the 20-year limit and expired.

“Protecting an asset like LunaRich is a process,” said Ryan Montgomery, Reliv president. “We expect to receive continued enhancements to current patents, and we have additional unique patents pending. LunaRich puts Reliv and our products on a higher level in the industry, and we want to guarantee that the only place consumers can purchase LunaRich is through independent Reliv distributors.”

LunaRich’s Superior Bioavailability

LunaRich’s unique refinement process retains a more uniform and integrated “shell” of protease inhibitors, which serve as protective chaperone molecules to better protect the lunasin from being destroyed in the stomach. The shell is then broken down to allow for maximum absorption of lunasin in the small intestine, where it can provide the greatest benefit. Learn more about the bioavailability of LunaRich.

“We have demonstrated through our exclusive bioassay, based on lunasin’s proprietary epigenetic mechanism of action, that LunaRich products maintain lunasin’s bioactivity after digestion,” said Dr. Alfredo Galvez, lead scientific advisor at SL Technology, Inc., a Reliv subsidiary. “It is the only test of its kind in the supplement industry and gives Reliv the unique ability to guarantee the bioactivity and bioavailability of lunasin in its LunaRich products. Now we have additional patent protection for the novel formulations that make LunaRich products so effective in delivering all the health benefits of lunasin.”