Vital Foods

Vital Foods is a digestive health company, based around a patented extract from kiwi-fruit called Zyactinase^TM. Apart from being part of New Zealand’s agricultural history, kiwi-fruits are one of the very few fruits in the world containing protein digesting enzymes, which are concentrated in the company’s extracts to create an all-natural way of addressing digestive health. The products include a juice concentrate called Kiwi-Crush^TM and a dietary supplement called Phloe^TM or Kivia^TM.

BioPacific invested in Vital Foods alongside Nestlé’s venture arm, Inventages, to fund clinical trials whose data show beneficial effects on constipation, bloating, flatulence and general digestive discomfort. As a result Phloe^TM has become the top-selling product in its category in pharmacies in New Zealand as well as a significant number 2 ranking (behind Metamucil) in grocery. Vital Foods is now developing Kivia^TM as a medical food for managing the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

Horizon Science

Horizon Science is about blood glucose management. While diabetics have the most serious form of blood glucose disorder, there are many more people in the world who simply suffer the effects of fluctuating blood glucose levels – including a huge number with pre-diabetes or metabolic syndrome. Horizon has discovered a special family of polyphenols, amazingly found inside sugar cane, which help control blood glucose fluctuations. These extracts, called Benecarb^TM and Polynol^TM, have already been used to create the world’s first “slow-burning” or Low Glycemic Index (Low GI) sugar, marketed by Sugar Australia under the Horizon-owned brand LoGiCane^TM. LoGiCane^TM is selling across Australia & New Zealand and now entering selected Asian markets; 5 million packs have sold in Australia alone.

BioPacific funded the clinical trials and product development for LoGiCane^TM alongside Nestlé’s venture arm, Inventages, and is now funding the creation of an ingredient form of the product to apply across a wide variety of foods as well as a dietary supplement or beverage to help people better manage their blood glucose fluctuations. These products could have a very significant impact on public health by making foods “better for you” and slowing the progress of pre-diabetics to the full-blown diabetic state.

New Zealand Pharmaceuticals

New Zealand Pharmaceuticals (NZP) extracts and manufactures specialty chemicals for some of the world’s leading pharmaceutical companies. Its largest product range is pharmaceutical intermediates, the building blocks used in manufacturing drugs. NZP dominates global production of one family of such chemicals, the bile acids, but produces many more including synthetic carbohydrates. The company also produces a range of ingredients used in dietary supplements, microbial and fermentation media and animal feeds.

BioPacific invested in NZP alongside a sister private equity fund, Direct Capital III. The initial funds allowed NZP to build a world-class production facility to expand its volume and range of products, and later investments allowed it to acquire a synthetic carbohydrate development company in the UK. NZP now provides customers in 25 countries with over US$50 million of products each year.

CoDa Therapeutics

CoDa Therapeutics is a drug development company focused on wound healing. The company has a unique approach to healing, using a family of anti-sense drug candidates which prevent some of the body’s unhelpful reactions to wounds. These reactions evolved in early man to protect wounds against microbial invasion – they include cell suicide mechanisms and extensive white blood cell invasion, both of which are unhelpful in a clean, well-protected wound. CoDa’s drugs use anti-sense DNA to prevent the cell-to-cell signals which pas through “gap junctions” to trigger these reactions.

BioPacific invested in CoDa as part of a consortium of three major life science investors including GBS Ventures in Australia and Domain Partners in the USA. While the firm was founded in New Zealand it now has head-quarters in San Diego, USA. Our investment funded extensive clinical trials in some of the hardest to heal wound categories, particularly those of the elderly and in hard to heal places such as the eye. CoDa is now entering Phase 3 trials on Venous Leg Ulcers and is in Phase 2 on Diabetic Foot Ulcers and Persistent Ocular Defects. It also has a second generation of the drugs in development targeting internal injuries such as spinal wounds.

New Zealand King Salmon

New Zealand King Salmon (NZKS) is a farmed-salmon producer. The company led the development of salmon-farming in New Zealand and now dominates the industry, being the country’s largest supplier and an exporter to Japan, Australia, the USA and, most recently, China. NZKS produces fish in sea-farms in the cold sheltered waters of the Marlborough Sounds. The company produces the premium and hard to grow Pacific salmon, also known as Chinook or King Salmon. This species has the highest levels of Omega-3 poly-unsaturated fatty acids of any commercial species. The company is fully integrated, having its own breeding stock, hatchery, farms and processing facilities which produce and distribute a wide range of branded salmon products to retailers.

BioPacific invested in NZKS alongside a sister private equity fund, Direct Capital III. Our investment allowed the expansion of production and product ranges and the entry into new markets. Significantly for BioPacific, it also allowed the exploration of Omega-3 products and other high value product opportunities out of the large volume of fish being produced.