Nearly 150 executives stayed around after SupplySide West for a post-conference workshop on long-chain omega-3s developed with the Global Organization for EPA and DHA Omega-3s (GOED). Titled “GOED Exchange Update: Regulatory and State-of-the-Market Issues for EPA and DHA Omega-3,” the workshop addressed market trends and the supply chain, national and international regulatory issues, and a look at the present and future of clinical research related to omega-3s.

The first speaker was Adam Ismail, GOED’s executive director, who noted that the growing breadth of science on the health benefits of omega-3s is driving the market, but there are still communication issues getting the right message to the consumer. Ismail then walked through a comparison of relative value and leading suppliers through the chain, noting U.S. consumers seem to be moving toward higher value omega-3 products. Of note was the fact that GOED is seeing an increase in sustainability claims on product labels, becoming as prominent as claims relating to product characteristics. Ismail also covered current quality standards such as the GOED monograph, and wrapped up with a review of the scope of product inclusions and new markets.

Following Ismail, attendees heard from Mary Van Elswyk, Ph.D., who offered a regulatory review. She first offered insights into the European Union, specifically calling out Article 13 and 14 claims reviews and the various claims that have been accepted or rejected; she also discussed the current safety standards among various European nations. In her oversight of the U.S. market, Van Elswyk commended GOED for its work related to the new dietary ingredient (NDI) draft guidance, as it has been proactive in this arena. Also of interest in the U.S. market was the ongoing FDA and FTC attention being paid to claims on products marketed to children.

The final speaker was Jay Udani, M.D., CEO of Medicus Research, who looked at the current state of the science related to long-chain omega-3 fatty acids, as well as the types of studies that are now looking to understand the mechanism of action. Research seems focused in areas such as cardiovascular health, neurological health and inflammation. However, Udani then noted most studies conducted in diseased populations yield information that would position fish oil products as drugs based off of their claims. Instead, he discussed opportunities for companies to develop trials using healthy populations and his theory of natural health product clinical trial design, in which the studies yield appropriate structure/function claims.

The workshop was developed in conjunction with GOED, and sponsored by Aker BioMarine, Golden Omega and The Scoular Co.