KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 1): Bioalpha Holdings Bhd has strengthened its foothold in China with the launch of seven new functional food products there, produced on original design manufacturing basis for partner Jinrui Yandetang Co Ltd.

The ready-to-drink beverages and powder sachets, which were launched on Sept 26, promote health functions and improve immunity and gut function, the health supplement firm said in a statement today.

The ingredients consist of Malaysian herbs such as tongkat ali, kacip fatimah and misai kucing.

“This is the maiden order, and we look forward to receiving more orders in the near future, given Jinrui’s extensive network reach of more than 50,000 distributors in China.

“We expect to see contribution from Jinrui in the fourth quarter of 2019,” Bioalpha managing director William Hon said.

Bioalpha inked a contract manufacturing agreement with Jinrui, an investment operator of China's health industry, in August this year.

Headquartered in Shanghai, Jinrui is responsible for marketing and distribution of the products, while Bioalpha develops formulations catering to the local taste buds in China, one of Bioalpha's main export markets. 

In a separate development, Bioalpha’s wholly-owned subsidiary Bioalpha (HK) Ltd recently secured the first tranche of grant amounting to HK$466,913 (RM250,000) from Hong Kong’s Innovation and Technology Commission for the development of next-generation anti-inflammatory and antitussive herbal products in Hong Kong.

The company will partner with the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology to jointly identify two formulations to treat inflammatory and respiratory problems such as asthma and rheumatoid arthritis.

The project will involve the study of mangosteen, misai kucing, tiger milk mushroom and cordycep sinensis for their combative properties.

Based on the generated formulations, Bioalpha would then seek to develop herbal health supplement products targeting these related diseases.

“The new offerings will be marketed and commercialised in China, Hong Kong, as well as Southeast  Asian countries.

“The project is expected to commence by March 2020, with an estimated duration of 15 months,” it said. — Bernama