A Nelson company is carrying out a clinical trial to win medical recognition of its honey and bee venom product as a pain relief for arthritis.
Nelson Apiaries has been producing the dietary supplement NectarEase, made of manuka honey and bee venom, for several years. As a dietary supplement it can
be marketed only as a possible relief for arthritis, rather than a medically proven treatment.
Research coordinator Rob Crooks said a clinical trial would hopefully prove its effectiveness. It was being overseen by an expert in arthritis at Health Waikato and involved 100 arthritis sufferers.
Mr Crooks said if the trial showed that NectarEase worked, it could enable it to be legally marketed as a medicine.
That would be a big boost for sales, especially overseas.
He said while other companies had developed similar products in New Zealand, none had yet gone through the clinical trial process because of the time and cost involved.
Mr Crooks said even if the trial were not a success, the company would still benefit because of useful information that had come to light in the process.
A Health Ministry spokeswoman said if the trial proved a success, the company would still have to go through a lengthy process to register NectarEase as a medicine.
Until then, no therapeutic claims could be made in the product's marketing.
Nelson Apiaries sells most of its NectarEase domestically, but also exports it to Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, the United States, Britain and Australia.
It has also developed a cream containing bee venom, called Nectar Balm.
Both products are believed to stimulate the production of a hormone which has anti-inflammatory properties.
The company's base is at Motupiko, but it has hives in the Tapawera and Nelson Lakes areas.
- NZPA
