ORLANDO, Fla., Feb. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- Valensa International (Eustis, FL USA) announced today that it has entered into a license agreement with Biova, LLC (Johnston, Iowa USA) that will allow Valensa to include the patented BiovaFlex(TM) water-soluble egg shell membrane ingredient in a proprietary new series of formulated joint health products. In addition Valensa was granted a worldwide exclusive license for BiovaFlex in gummy-type chewables for joint health. In late 2009, Valensa announced that it had developed and filed provisional patents for a revolutionary range of joint, cardiovascular and eye health care dietary supplement and medical food formulations featuring Aker Biomarine krill oil and other scientifically sound condition-specific ingredients. The agreement with Biova is a continuation of Valensa's program in the area of joint health. Valensa is currently discussing joint health formulations with select marketing partners and will announce commercial products in Q2 2010.

According to Dr. Rudi E. Moerck, President & CEO, the joint health market is currently a major focus at Valensa. "Today, more than 140 million adults in the U.S., and many times that around the world, suffer from some form of joint or connective tissue issues. As our population ages, this estimate is expected to grow rapidly. There is a substantial opportunity to improve the quality of life for millions of people by applying sound science to joint health," he said. "We are pleased to have an agreement with Biova on this science-based and patented ingredient that competitively enhances our joint health product formulation capabilities. Our goal is to use BiovaFlex and our own proprietary ingredients, including astaxanthin and krill oil, to create revolutionary joint health formulations that feature vastly smaller dosage requirements and easy-to-consume dosage forms such as gummies, small capsules, tablets or softgels," he added.

BiovaFlex is a proprietary natural ingredient, rich in beneficial proteins such as elastin, collagens and glycosaminoglycans (chondroitin-sulfate, glucosamine and hyaluronic acid), designed to support the stability and flexibility of synovial joint functions. Open label trials indicate that BiovaFlex produces positive results, including significant functional flexibility response, in as little as two weeks. BiovaFlex is the world's first, and only, water-soluble egg shell membrane ingredient. This water-soluble characteristic makes the ingredient ideal for incorporation into chewable gummy, tablets, softgels and hard shell products. Non-denatured collagen, elastin and hyaluronic acid (HA), along with the elastin building blocks desmosine and iso-desmosine, are the main constituents of BiovaFlex water-soluble egg shell membrane.

Valensa has initiated sampling of a range of formulations featuring astaxanthin and krill oil with BiovaFlex to key marketers of joint health products.

According to Dr. Dennis Casey, President of Biova, formulators of supplements need to become more creative in the area of joint health support. "When we look at the joint health marketplace today, we have seen little innovation beyond glucosamine and chondroitin. We are impressed with Valensa's marketing capabilities for joint health products and impressed by their formulations that combine BiovaFlex with other ingredients that also contribute to joint health functionality - all in products that are good-tasting, small in size and easy to use," he said. "From what we have seen, Valensa has achieved this goal for many dosage forms, including gummy, softgel, hard shell and tablet products, that all have a lower 'pill burden' and are significantly lower in dosage amount than existing products on the market," he added.