A Gold Coast pharmaceutical company has developed a new product in the battle to combat Australia's biggest killer: cardiovascular disease.
Wigna Policosanol uses the natural ingredient policosanol – derived from sugar cane wax – to lower cholesterol and help maintain healthy weight loss.
Following approval from Australia's Therapeutic Goods Administration this month, major outlet Giant Chemist have begun stocking Wigna Policosanol.
Managing Director of Wigna Pharmaceuticals, Mr Jeffrey Park, was inspired to create the product because high cholesterol and blood circulation are major health issues in his homeland of South Korea.
However, there are also significant health implications in Australia where, according to The Heart Foundation, 51 Australians die every day from heart-related disease.
"Cardiovascular disease is the single leading cause of death in Australia," said Mr Park, who has lived on the Gold Coast since 1997.
"High cholesterol is a prominent factor in cardiovascular disease, causing plaque build-up within the arteries, preventing blood flow and contributing to heart attacks, strokes and chronic pain."
Mr Park said the health benefits of policosanol had gained increasing credibility in recent years.
In March this year, the journal Scientific Reports – published by the esteemed Nature Research – presented findings by Japanese medical scientists on the benefits of policosanol in preventing high fat diet-induced obesity and metabolic disorders*.
"Policosanol works by lowering bad cholesterol (LDL-C) levels, while maintaining good cholesterol (HDL-C) levels in the body. It may also assist in lowering blood pressure," Mr Park said.
Wigna Pharmaceuticals – previously Wigna Korea – has been supplying health supplements throughout Australia and New Zealand for 10 years.
Mr Park also supplies products including vitamins and health supplements to almost 5000 chemists across South Korea. He plans to take Wigna Policosanol to market there this year.
Wigna Policosanol is just the start of the produce range he is developing in the fight against cardiovascular disease, caused by high cholesterol.
"All our products are manufactured and owned in Australia," he said.
*Octacosanol and policosanol prevent high-fat diet-induced obesity and metabolic disorders by activating brown adipose tissue and improving liver metabolism – Faculty of Medicine at the University of Tsukuba, Japan (Scientific Reports).
