New Product to Treat and Prevent Folate Deficiencies Introduced

Merck has launched a new and improved proprietary product: Arcofolin™ L-Methylfolate, a monosodium salt of L-5-methyltetrahydrofolic acid for nutritional and pharmaceutical applications.

Identical to the naturally occurring predominant form of folate, Arcofolin™ L-Methyfolate provides supplementation aimed at enriching the diet with natural folate. Low levels of folate have been associated with various disorders including anaemia, neural tube defects, depression and osteoporosis. It can be difficult to meet the recommended daily folate intake with food alone, as large amounts of food folate can be lost during processing and cooking. Dietary supplements bridge that gap.

Arcofolin™ L-Methylfolate is an active form of vitamin B9, also known as folic acid. Unlike folic acid, this biologically active form of folate is easy for the body to metabolise: its unique formula does not require any extra steps to be absorbed and enter circulation once ingested.

Dietary supplement and pharmaceutical manufacturers can benefit from the compound’s high active folate content, enhanced water solubility, higher purity and improved overall stability. Arcofolin™ L-Methylfolate is protected against generics due to comprehensive intellectual property protection (patent pending).

Merck’s Arcofolin™ L-Methylfolate is developed and produced under cGMP conditions in a U.S. FDA- and Swissmedic-inspected facility using advanced manufacturing technologies. Merck launched Metafolin® L-Methylfolate in 2001 as the first commercially available form of the naturally occurring folate vitamer. This ingredient is aimed at helping millions of people around the world maintain sufficient folate levels in all stages of life.

Merck provides the most comprehensive portfolio of high-quality folates for nutritional and pharmaceutical applications as well as excipients and drug delivery compounds to meet the industry’s formulation needs, with the right documentation at the right time.

More information online: