Our products

Hoodia Extract Dietary weight management

Reef Health's weight management functional food product is based on an extract of the succulent plant Hoodia gordonii, which contains novel satiety stimulators that reduces calorie intake in overweight subjects, as demonstrated in the Reef Health's double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical study.. 

Progress to date

Earlier clinical studies funded by Pfizer Inc. using a solid product formulation had been encouraging in demonstrating a statistically significant reduction in the average daily calorific intake in the Hoodia extract group. The kinetic data confirms that the systematic exposure to biologically active constituents of Hoodia was consistent with the observed clinical effects.

Reef Health conducted clinical studies under the joint development agreement with Phytopharm and Unilever; these were undertaken using different extracts and formulations from those previously studied. Under the terms of the Mutual Termination Agreement, Phytopharm and Unilever are currently evaluating the data arising from one of these studies and the final report is expected to be available from the clinical research organisation in Q3 2010. Reef Health intends to publish a number of scientific articles on the Hoodia programme in 2010.

Reef Health currently maintains a rapidly increasing Hoodia supply chain and expenditure on this programme will remain continue to increase with demand.

We are evaluating a number of potential opportunities including discussions with major branded companies to explore ways forward for the Hoodia programme which Reef Health has licensed from the South African Council for Scientific Research (CSIR) and the Department of Agriculture. The dialogue is well advanced, however due to secrecy provisions we are unable to give any indication as to whether these discussions will lead to a further commercial opportunity to develop products based upon Hoodia gordonii.

Initially a molecule was isolated and patented (P-57) as it was thought this was the sole molecule responsible for this feeling full effect. However according to a leading European scientists in natural products and function foods, Dr. Schmidt has recently discovered “although P57 has long been thought to contribute to the overall appetite-suppressing effect of Hoodia gordonii, however other related steroidal triterpenes also contribute to the overall effect.”