LONDON (AFX) - Provexis PLC said it has entered into a long-term collaboration agreement with Unilever PLC to jointly develop a new concentrated format of its patented Fruitflow heart-health technology for application in Unilever's food product portfolio.

Financial details of the deal were not disclosed.

The partners plan to enter into a global licence arrangement for the technology.

Fruitflow is a patented natural extract from tomato which Provexis said has been shown in human trials to reduce the propensity for aberrant blood clotting that is typically associated with cardiovascular disease and which can lead to heart attack or stroke.

In 2005 the market for heart benefit foods was worth 4 bln usd globally, Provexis added.

Considering the growth potential this share has a target of about 8-10p in the medium tern and is a good buy at current levels

As usual, pls do ur own research.

good on everyone who held on for this. 1 out of 15 shares coming good makes it all worth while!

GN--quite agree I have had about 9 shares go suspended or bust--bb. wlw and various oilies like tom ive and eel! I have every hope this little gem will claw back my losses and more. Great news today and lots more to come.

Currently 14 mil more buys than sells this should be up more. Plus anybody else having problems getting on ad%fn

Yes---overwhelmed perhaps lol! sp holding steady despite all the buys.

14% up take that everyday

3 mil late reported trades angle offloading more held us back poss.

blanche - even 5% would be good...perceptions are becoming distorted....

Some people are talking about takeovers......not sure this makes any sense since the agreements with commercial partners as outlined in news and interims etc are all related to particular fields/markets and only for fruitflow. So coca cola has rights to beverage market excluding mini drinks, the guys selling sirco ( the name slips me) have rights to juices, unilever have/had rights to spreads. So there is no incentive for coke to takeover provexis. it has/will confirm a deal to license the product in a certain niche. DSM Venturing is the division that invests in new tech companies - i do not think they will launch a takeover. Angle have been supporting as start up investors and i presume felt their role was finished since pxs moved to a new phase. unilever seem to have dropped the ball by changing their market strategy.

I believe pxs will grow as an independent Rand D company ( they can recruit whichever staff they need) and continue to license out their intellectual property into niche markets. Coke Danone etc are not interested nor do they want to be involved in pure pharma and are here for the beneficial food market.

UK start-up Provexis is confident the European Commission, in consultation with member states, will issue consumer-friendly wording for its tomato extract blood circulation health claim.

Provexis is the only company to earn a positive article 13.5 opinion so far. Twelve others have failed to impress EFSA scientists for varying reasons including poor trial design and inappropriate claim wording.

http://www.nutraingredients.com/On-your-radar/Health-claims/EU-tomato-extract-health-claim-wording-gets-user-friendly-treatment

Courtesy of rmart on ADVFN:-


rmart - 14 Aug'09 - 11:15 - 7431 of 7503

Press Release
August 2009

Younger generation who turn away from tomatoes
could be at risk of heart disease

A quarter of young people could be missing out on the unique heart health benefits found in tomatoes.

A survey1 commissioned on behalf of Sirco, a new 100% fruit juice with all the goodness of tomatoes without the taste of tomatoes and proven benefits for blood circulation and heart health, has revealed that a staggering quarter (25%) of 18-24s dont eat tomatoes or drink tomato juice at all with three quarters (77%) of all adults saying its because of the taste.

Half (50%) of those young people (those aged 18 to 24) asked only ate tomatoes or drank tomato juice once every few months to once a week. This, when combined with common risk factors, such as smoking, excessive alcohol consumption9, lack of exercise, stress and obesity9, could increase their chance of heart disease.

Sirco, the first and only fruit juice drink proven to benefit blood circulation, developed to offer a much more palatable solution, comes in two new delicious 100% pure fruit juices mixes, Pomegranate/Orange and Blueberry/Apple, both containing a tasteless patented tomato extract, Fruitflow, that has scientifically proven heart and circulation health benefits.

The blood platelet smoothing action of Sirco takes effect from the very first 250ml glass and lasts up to 18 hours.2, 3. Study results also show that the platelet smoothing benefits of Sirco cannot be achieved through consumption of the corresponding amount of tomato juice..

Dr Chris Steele, MBE, resident GP on This Morning, suggests that many people could benefit from Sirco and should discuss it with their GPs; The role of blood clots and blood health in cardiovascular health is less clear to patients than the role of cholesterol, but I would suggest no less important.

More people now recognise that cholesterol furs and causes narrowing of the arteries, but they do not understand that it is the thrombus or blood clot, caused by platelet aggregation (getting sticky) that causes potentially fatal heart attacks and strokes.

With Sirco we have a product that is scientifically proven to help keep your blood healthy, benefit your circulation and so help maintain a healthy heart and cardiovascular system. Recommended to patients as part of a healthy diet and lifestyle, products such as Sirco and cholesterol lowering products can work together in helping to maintain heart health.

The number of young people not eating tomatoes or drinking tomato juice compares starkly with over 55s, of which, only 4% abstain. In fact, each generation consumes less tomatoes than the previous generation with 17% of 25-34 year olds, 15% of 35-44 year olds and 6% of 45-54 year olds abstaining. This represents at least x million people (number to be quoted) who could be at risk of heart disease.

Sirco is available in major retailers such as Waitrose, Holland & Barrett, Ocado and Independent Health food stores, Tree of Life, The Health Store and The Natural Health Company. It is available in 1 litre cartons in two flavours (Blueberry & Apple and Pomegranate & Orange), and retails between 1.89 and 2.59.

More information is available from www.sircoheart.com.

-ENDS-

rmart - 14 Aug'09 - 11:16 - 7432 of 7503

Notes to Editors:
Sirco does not contain artificial sweeteners, preservatives, colours or flavours and is naturally cholesterol and salt free.
One 250ml serving of Sirco contains 3g of Fruitflow (the recommended daily consumption).
Sirco is a one-a-day drink which works with your body on the day you drink it.
A 250ml serving of Sirco provides you with one portion of your recommended five fruits a day.
As Sirco is designed for adults it is not recommended for children.
There is no evidence that drinking more than the recommended dose of Sirco, as with eating too many tomatoes, would be harmful.
Tomatoes are proven to contain ingredients with potent antiplatelet properties that help keep blood platelets smooth so they dont clump together, and so blood flows more freely.

Fruitflow
Antiplatelet therapy has become a widely accepted therapeutic intervention to reduce the rate of coronary events and stroke in specific patient groups. However for patients at lower coronary risk, there is still much debate around the impact of undesirable effects vs benefits for recommending the use of antiplatelet therapies such as aspirin.8 As would be expected for a heart health drink, no side effects have been reported in trials to date.2, 3 Sirco has also shown no effect on the natural clotting process which occurs with injury.2, 3

In 2001, having already published data that showed tomatoes contain ingredients with potent antiplatelet properties,4, 5 a team of scientists led by Professor Asim Duttaroy at the Rowett Institute of Health & Nutrition, University of Aberdeen formulated an extract of ripe tomatoes which delivered these effects in vivo. Four years of further clinical research by Provexis have shown that the extract, Fruitflow, has multiple modes of action in vitro and in vivo, and works against a range of physiological mediators of platelet aggregation including collagen, thrombin, ADP and arachidonic acid.2, 3

Platelet function in response to ADP or collagen was altered in 97% of trial subjects after consumption of fruitflow.2, 3 While the average response in studies was in the range 8-23% inhibition of baseline platelet aggregation, a subset of subjects showed a higher response (in the range 20-35% inhibition).2, 3 These individuals had higher than average plasma concentrations of two emerging markers of cardiovascular risk: C-reactive protein and homocysteine, both of which have been reported to affect platelet function.6, 7 It would appear, therefore, that the individuals who show the greatest response are those who could potentially derive greater benefit from a dietary antiplatelet agent.

have just noticed that the header of this thread has come around again - expect it is more true this time....

"Provexis Buy at 3.25p - Target 8p"

looking for 10p

Good start this morning

you may (all) be on to a cracker here, but be aware that it is a tiny company and that these trials all too often do not bear fruit.

further, the trial would seem to have only just started and will last 18 months, with a zillion slips 'twixt cup and lip

Cynic this is a winner. Blow the cobwebs off that big old wallet of yours, and buy some. They will treble from here even without current trials, Soon as efsa confirmation comes through on wording.

the trial is for the next product stream, the current fruitflow additive is the one that is driving this change for the moment. EFSA approval, multi national agreements imminent ( ie not speculation about whether more at what level). AGM on 10th sept.

Provexis has a strong balance sheet. My opinion is that it is a BUY up to 10p. It could climb to 5p by close of business today.

blanche - how badly do you want it to tank? ..... if that badly, then perhaps i'll buy which will trigger the instant short signal!

Provexis has a very small spread compared to lots of companies with similar price. It attract more speculative buyers.

i am sure it's a dumb move, but have just bought a modest 50k at 4.5 ...... if i have any sense, which is looking less and less likely, i'll sell when or if there is ever a decent profit to bank

Cynic, Hope you did your research first!