Avesthagen ties up with Nestle

Avestha Gengraine Technologies and Nestle Nutrition, a unit of Nestle SA, Switzerland-headquartered world's largest foods company, have struck a three year research deal, Villoo Morawalla Patell, the Bangalore-based biotech research firm's chief executive officer said on Friday.

The collaboration could yield new technologies to be "ready for incorporation into Nestle's product portfolio by early 2006," Patell said.

Avesthagen will validate the role of nutritional bioactives in foods, validate new technologies and develop delivery mechanisms for the immense body of knowledge that exists within traditional Indian medicine, she said.

The joint research programme will create a new line of food products, "exclusively developed to promote health", targetted at the lifestyle-induced diseases segment such as diabetes and heart disease.

The firms will use knowledge of traditional Ayurveda delivered via. modern technologies for consumers worldwide.

Globally, it is estimated that almost 200 million people are at risk of developing degenerative conditions such as heart disease, diabetes and obesity within the next 10 years, Patell said.

The new line of products will aim to help provide a chance to maintain a healthy lifestyle and delay the onset of these conditions, she said.

As per the agreement, Avesthagen will receive three milestone payments based on the achievement of discovery and development objectives periodically. The intellectual property emerging from the development of new technologies will be shared between the two companies, she said.

"We are excited about our tie-up with Nestle and look forward to a mutually productive relationship. The development programme shows Nestle's confidence in our research capabilities and the validation of the 'Food For Medicine' research efforts at Avesthagen," she said.