Equateq in the Press

Explore our facility: view our Video

Images

Launch of the DH Memorial Library, Sept 25, 2007

Launch of the DH Memorial Library, Sept 25, 2007 - 1

Launch of the DH Memorial Library, Sept 25, 2007 - 2

Launch of the DH Memorial Library, Sept 25, 2007 - 3

Equateq delivers Pharma-grade DGLA for Skin Health- Sept 26, 2008

The omega-6 fatty acid DGLA, which has potent anti-inflammatory actions and has not previously been readily accessible from any natural source, is now available in commercial quantities and to a super-pure specification, the specialist lipid manufacturer Equateq unveiled today.

The announcement is the first public outcome of its lipid synthesis programme, which it has been pursuing at its purpose-built facility in the Western Isles of Scotland. Equateq only last month reported that its production had been certified as GMP by Britain’s health regulatory agency, the MHRA.

Equateq CEO Adam Kelliher said his R & D team had successfully synthesized omega-6 DGLA (Dihomma-Gamma-Linolenic Acid) up to 98% purity, and that the fatty acid was now available for researchers, pharmaceutical and cosmetic companies from gram to kilogram batch sizes. DGLA (20:3 n-6) performs as a ‘sister’ fatty acid to omega-3 EPA, in that it is a precursor to important eicosanoids, hormone-like substances that regulate cell function and have important anti-inflammatory functions. Thus, DGLA has potential for treating conditions such as eczema, psoriasis, asthma and arthritis. But it has proven hard to source in nature, being found in trace levels in some organ meats and glands, and being a major component in human breast milk. Previously, researchers have relied on using GLA from evening primrose or borage oils, which can convert into DGLA within the body. Now, researchers can experiment with direct inputs of DGLA.

‘There is a lot of wizardry involved in this, as my team have essentially mimicked processes from within the human body in order to deliver DGLA in a super-pure form,’ Kelliher said. ‘It is a magnificent first result, and we expect to be announcing characterization of several other lipid APIs in the months and years to come.’

Kelliher explained that synthetic DGLA, which is being marketed as EQT-101, probably had the best potential as the active ingredient within a topical cream, for use in treating such conditions as eczema, psoriasis and atopic dermatitis. Research has indicated DGLA’s benefits for hyper-proliferative skin disorders may be due to the fatty acid being the raw material for making potent anti-inflammatory compounds called prostaglandin E1 and 15-HETrE. Other more recent work has shown in animal models that DGLA countered the role of inflammatory prostaglandin E2, with the authors concluding that DGLA administration in humans could be more effective than GLA in reducing symptoms of atopic eczema, he said.

‘Cosmetics and pharmaceutical companies, or anyone in the business of smooth healthy skin, will grasp the potential of DGLA,’ Kelliher said. ‘It can be the basis of a breakthrough treatment having none of the side effects of steroids, and we can now deliver it to interested parties in a GMP-certified form.’

Equateq will be presenting EQT-101 at the CPHI show in Frankfurt, Sept. 30-Oct 2, in the New Business section at stand NB5001. The privately-owned company sells crystallised omega oil concentrates to the food and nutraceutical sectors, and its super-pure Ultra-Rx range of compounds are used by researchers and pharmaceutical companies for exploring Investigational New Drugs.

Equateq bullish about lipid API Market - Aug. 27, 2008

Equateq CEO Adam Kelliher is interviewed about the state of the lipid API Market for Pharmatechnologist Magazine

Equateq Facility Certified for GMP Pharma Production - Aug. 22, 2008

The fatty acid concentration plant run by Equateq in the Western Isles of Scotland has been certified as GMP compliant by Britain’s healthcare authority, giving it the necessary credentials to produce high-end lipid compounds as active pharmaceutical ingredients for the booming omega oils sector, the company announced Friday.

Equateq opens super omega-3 factory in Scotland - Aug 25, 2007

A production and research facility able to make super-pure fatty acid concentrates for the nutrition industry has officially opened in the Western Isles of Scotland with the potential to offer gold standard omega-3.

Pioneer's daughter to reopen Isles factory - Aug. 23, 2007

A FACTORY on Lewis set up by the medical pioneer David Horrobin will be reopened this week by his daughter.

The final frontier for fatty acids - Aug. 20, 2007

A new facility has opened in the Western Isles of Scotland boasting a unique two-stage process for making fatty acid concentrates of up to 99% purity from marine or botanical oils.

Dedicated to Fatty Acid Research and Production