Pharmaceutical Business review

VisiVite reports launch of ProVision macular health formula

Based on the antioxidant supplement used in The National Eye Institute’s (NEI) AREDS 2 study, ProVision leverages today’s best research on nutritional support for macular health to create an accessible, reliable and effective vision health supplement for everyone.

The NEI’s AREDS study found that an antioxidant complex supplement appeared to reduce the risk of advanced macular health concerns by 25% over a five year period.

The AREDS 2 study followed up with an enhanced supplement, discovering, among other insights, that the macula-supportive botanical nutrients lutein and zeaxanthin were 18% more absorbable and effective than the original AREDS formula (which instead used beta-carotene). These results seemed to suggest the AREDS 2 combination might be even more effective than the original formula.

Despite the promise of the AREDS 2 formula, some eye health professionals have faced challenges in persuading their patients to take it. AREDS 2 supplements can be expensive, with some using luxury ingredients and marketing campaigns that inflate pricing without conferring any benefit.

Other AREDS 2 supplements may be inconvenient for patients, often supplying a mere 30-day supply of chalky hard-to-swallow tablets. Of particular concern for eye doctors who distribute vision health supplements to their patients, some AREDS 2 eye supplements may be formulated and manufactured by unknown parties who lack a strong track record.

Formulated by Dr. Paul Krawitz, acclaimed ophthalmologist and university professor, Vitamin Science, Inc. C.E.O., and VisiVite product formulator, ProVision makes it easier for eye health professionals to confidently recommend a quality AREDS 2 formula while improving their patients’ compliance for optimal eye health benefits.

"With ProVision, eye doctors get the simplicity of recommending an affordable, doctor-formulated AREDS 2 macular health supplement made by VisiVite, a true leader in ocular nutrition," explains Krawitz. "Patients get an evidence-based means of supporting their vision that’s affordable and easy to take: Just two easy-to-swallow softgels daily supply therapeutic antioxidant levels, and a single bottle lasts 90 days so patients only need to buy it four times per year."

ProVision’s foundation formula for supporting macular health and vision wellness includes six key antioxidants from the AREDS 2 study calibrated in precise levels:

Vitamin C 500 mg
Vitamin E 400 IU
Zinc 25 mg
Copper 1 mg
Lutein 10 mg
Zeaxanthin 2 mg

"Focusing on eye vitamins exclusively since 2001, VisiVite has ocular nutrition down to a science," continues Krawitz.

"With longstanding raw material supplier relationships, formulating expertise and manufacturing efficiency, we’re uniquely qualified to make effective eye vitamins that are affordable for everyone. ProVision exemplifies this philosophy, and we’re truly proud to announce its forthcoming release in January of 2015."

VisiVite ProVision will be distributed exclusively by eye health professionals. It will first be officially launched at Vision Expo East in New York, March 20-22, 2015, in demi-cases of 12 bottles.