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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES Public Health Service Food and Drug Administration Memorandum Date: 12-16-02 From: Gloria Chang, IDS/Pharmacist, Division of Standards and Labeling Regulations, Office of Nutritional Products, Labeling and Dietary Supplements, HFS-820 Subject: 75-Day Premarket Notification of New Dietary Ingredients To: Dockets Management Branch, HFA-305 New Dietary Ingredient: Astaxanthin (Extract of Haematococcus pluvalis) Firm: / Submitter: Ullman, Shapiro, and Ullman, LLP Manufacturer: Mica Gaia, Inc. Date Received by FDA: 90-Day Date: 6/05/02 3/07/02 In accordance with the requirements of section 413(a) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, the attached 75-day premarket notification for the aforementioned new dietary ingredient should be placed on public display in docket number 953-03 16 after 6/05/02. Hence, it can be displayed now. Thank you for your assistance. *gLl t?#fL;{ Gloria Chang, IDS/Pha acist Attachments 955oJ/b &wIP DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Public Health Service Food and Drug Administration College Park, MD Marc S. Ullman, Counselor at Law Ullman, Shapiro & Ullman, LLP 299 Broadway, Suite 1700 New York, NY 10007 Dear Mr. Ullman: This is in responseto your letter to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) dated January 9,2002 and originally filed with FDA on January 15,2002. Your notification concernsthe new dietary ingredient, astaxanthinextracted from Huematococcuspluvidis algae and manufactured by Micro Gaia Inc. of Maui, Hawaii. In a subsequenttelephone conversationon January 24,2002 with you, Mr. Gary Coody of my staff informed you that the notification did not meet the minimum requirementsof 21 CFR 6 190.6. Mr. Coody statedthat the 75 day safety review would not commenceuntil the requestedinformation was submitted and that the date that we received the information would be the new filing date. Your amendednotification dated March 01,2002 containing the additional information was received by FDA on March 07,2002 and is the new effective filing date. The law at 21 USC. 35Ob(a)(2)requires that a manufacturer or distributor submit certain information to FDA at least 75 days before a new dietary ingredient or a dietary supplement containing it is introduced or delivered for introduction into interstate commerce. This information must include the basis on which the manufacturer or distributor has concluded that the new dietary ingredient or a dietary supplementcontaining it will reasonablybe expectedto be safe. FDA reviews this information to determine whether it provides an adequatebasis for such a conclusion. Under 21 U.S.C. 350b(a)(2), there must be a history of use or other evidence of safety establishing that the dietary ingredient, when used under the conditions recommendedor suggestedin the product’s labeling, will reasonablybe expected to be safe. If this requirement is not met, the new dietary ingredient or dietary supplement containing it is deemedto be adulteratedunder 21 U.S.C. 342(f)(l)(B), becausethere is inadequateinformation to provide reasonableassurancethat the new dietary ingredient does not present a significant or unreasonablerisk of illness or injury. FDA has carefully consideredthe information in your notification that you relied upon to conclude that astaxanthin extracted from the Haematococcuspluvialis algae and consumedin the recommendeddose of 1 to 2 mg per day will reasonablybe expected to be safe. Your notification notes that there were no age limitations or limitations on duration of use. Your notification statesthat the product will contain a warning that pregnant and lactating women should consult a physician before use. Becauseyou did not include any long-term human toxicity studiesin your notification, and there was no safety data on long term or chronic use in children and infants, we strongly suggestthat you consider excluding use in this vulnerable subpopulation. Page2 - Marc S. Ullman Further, to deter excessive intake, for example from other sources of the carotenoids either from foods or other dietary supplements, it may be helpful to advise all consumers not to exceed the recommended daily dose of astaxanthin. Although we are not finding at this time that the basis on which you have concluded that a dietary supplement containing astaxanthin will reasonably be expected to be safe is inadequate, FDA is not precluded from taking action in the future against a dietary supplement containing astaxanthin if it is found to be adulterated or misbranded. It is the manufacturer’s or distributor’s responsibility to ensure that any dietary ingredient contained in a dietary supplement is safe and properly labeled. Importantly, new dietary ingredients for use in dietary supplements that FDA has reviewed through the premarket notification process are not “approved” or “authorized” by the agency. Your notification will be kept confidential for 90 days from the date of its receipt. After June 52002, your notification will be placed on public display at FDA’s Dockets Management Branch in docket number 958-03 16. However, any trade secret or otherwise confidential commercial information in the notification will not be disclosed to the public. Prior to June 5,2002, you may wish to identify in writing specifically what information you believe is proprietary in your current notification for FDA’s consideration. Nevertheless, our Center’s Freedom of Information Officer has the authority to make the final decision about what information in the notification should be redacted before it is posted at Dockets. Please contact us at (301) 436-2371, if you have any questions concerning this matter. Sincerely yours, Felicia B. Satchel1 Director Division of Standards and Labeling Regulations Office of Nutritional Products, Labeling and Dietary Supplements Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition ULLMAN.SHAPIRO&ULLMAN,LLP COUNSELORS ROB= USTBVW SHnmaa MABC s. ULLHAN 28~ BROADWAY. NEW Yom TEL. E Groms~ Dxwuart OF LAW 571-0088 FAX. (212) 571-w www.usulaw.com usu~law.com TRADEMARXaNJNSlC DBNN~~ E CAVANAUOH IRVIN0 (212) AT SUITE 1700 NY 10007 COUN.9EL: L. WIESEN B.U. hFILI. January 9,2002 comNDm4-r VAN cROICBBUoOBl!5 &PABTNBBS V--8BUSl Via FedEx Division of Standardsand Labeling Regulations Office of Nutritional Products, Labeling, and Dietary Supplements(HFS-820) Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition Food and Drug Administration 5 100 Paint Branch Parkway College Park, MD 20740-3835 Re: New Dietary Ingredient Notification Haematococcus Algae for Astaxanthin Extracted from Dear Sir/Madame: Pursuantto 2 1 CFR 9 190.6, pleasebe advisedthat Micro Gaia Inc. (“Micro Gaia”) of Maui, Hawaii’, is hereby providing you with notification of its intent to market a New Dietary Ingredient, namely astaxanthinextracted from Haematococcusalgae. Micro Gaia will commence marketing of its astaxanthin extract 75 days after acknowledgmentof your receipt of this notification, unless otherwise instructed by your agency. Enclosedwith this original document are two additional copies of Micro Gaia’s submissionand the attachmentsthereto. Based upon the following, Micro Gaia respectfully submits that there are no safety issues relating to its intended marketing of astaxanthin extractedfrom Haematococcusalgae: 1. Micro Gaia produces its astaxanthinextract from Heamatococcusalgae grown at the company’s facilities in Maui, Hawaii. The algae is cultivated in a proprietary Bra-Dome technology on Maui, which is constructedin a manner designedto ensure that the algae is grown under sterile conditions, free from pollutants and other environmental toxins. The facility has been inspectedby the State of Hawaii and has been found to be in compliancewith all applicable rules and regulations. ‘The company’s facilities are located at: Maui Researchand Technology Park, Premier Place, 535 Lipoa Parkway, Suite 177, Kihei, Maui, Hawaii 96753. ULLMAN. SHAPIRO & ULLMAN, LLP Division of Standards and Labeling Regulations Office of Nutritional Products, Labeling, and Dietary Supplements@IFS-820) Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition January 9,2002 Page 2 2. The algae produced at the Maui facility will be extracted at Fuji Chemical Company, Ltd. (“Fuji”) of Toyama, Japan. Fuji is a pharmaceutical ingredient supplier that has been in operation since 1946. Fuji is one of the leading custom manufacturers of bulk pharmaceuticalsand chemicals for utilization in both Japan and the United States. Fuji’s Toyama facility operatesin compliance with all Current Good Manufacturing Practices applicable to companies whose pharmaceutical products are imported into the United States. 3. The name of the new dietary ingredient is astaxanthin, which will initially be marketed under the trade name AstaReal”“. 4. AstaReal” will initially be marketed in tablet form. Each tablet will contain lmg of astaxanthin extract. The recommended dose of AstaReal will be 1 to 2mg daily. As noted in the attachedreport of Harry G. Preuss,M.D.2 (“the Preuss Report”), this is well within the range of astaxanthin ingested in a .25kg serving of salmon. The PreussReport specifically notes that the expected intake of astaxanthin from salmon can range from 10.1 mg per .25 kg serving of Sockeye salmon to a low of 1.325 mg per .25 kg serving of Atlantic salmon. 5. Haematococcus algae is found worldwide in nature and is believed to be the organism that can accumulate the highest levels of naturally occurring astaxanthin. The PreussReport concludes that there are no reports of toxicity associatedwith Haematococcusalgae in the published literature. 6. Astaxanthin is approved for use in Salmonid feeds at a maximum level of 8OmgIkg pursuant to 2 1 CFR 0 73.35. The data submitted in support of Color Additive Petition 7CO211(Roche Vitamins, Fine Chemicals, Hoffman LaRoche, Inc.) (the “Roche Petition”) includes various toxicity studies involving astaxanthin, which was reviewed in conjunction with the adoption of 21 CFR 0 73.35. The level required for acute toxicity for astaxanthin in rats over a 10 day period was at an oral dose in excessof 2000 mg/kg. 7. As noted in the PreussReport, Haematococcusalgae meal has been approved in Japan for use as a natural food color and as a pigment in fish feeds. Moreover, the PreussReport further notes that the structure of astaxanthin is similar to other carotenoid pigments such as beta carotene and vitamin E. In light of this, and other information cited therein, the PreussReport concludes that “astaxanthin is a Professor of Physiology, Medicine and Pathology, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, D.C. SHAPIRO 8~ ULLMAN. LLP ULLNAN. Division of Standardsand Labeling Regulations Office of Nutritional Products, Labeling, and Dietary Supplements @IFS-820) Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition January 9,2002 carotenoid and should be as safe as other carotenoid”. 8. This conclusion is supported by the PreussReport’s review of the data submitted in conjunction with the Roche Petition. There, FDA was presented with data indicating toxicity in rats at extremely high levels, and an absenceof mutagenicy in salmonella testing. Data also indicated that astaxanthin was well tolerated in pregnant rabbits who ingested dosesof 100,200 and 400 mg/kg/day over a 12 day period. Reproductive studies on rats and dogs revealed no perturbations from the high doses administered. Thirteen week tolerance tests on rats indicated an absenceof toxic effects. 9. The PreussReport further cites three toxicity-related studies conducted in humans. None of the studies, involving 78 subjects, indicated any evidence of adverseevents from the consumption of astaxanthin. 10. The PreussReport concludes that there “appears to be no question as to the safety of Micro Gaia’s astaxanthin product” and that “all evidence points to complete safety in the use of astaxanthin.” 11. A report prepared by ISSI Laboratories, Inc., dated October 3 1,2001, concluded that, following testing for 62 chlorinated hydrocarbon pesticides, 59 organophosphorous/organo-nitrogenpesticides , 11 carbamatepesticides, heavy metals, toxins, and microorganisms, “AstaReal finished product was found to be free of all listed potential contaminants.” A copy of this report is attached hereto. 12. The conclusion to the PreussReport also states that “Micro Gaia and the Food and Drug Administration can reasonably rely upon the Agency’s prior acceptanceof safety data submitted by other companies marketing astaxanthin as a ‘new dietary ingredient’ in the United States.” 13. In light of the above, Micro Gaia hereby incorporates by reference FDA’s acceptanceof safety related data in connection with docket number 958-03 16 by the following companies: 0 0 0 0 Igene Biotechnology, Inc Cyanotech Corp. Aquasearch, Inc. Cyanotech Corp. May 4,200O May 25,1999 December 16,1999 March 22,1999 ULLMAN. SHAPIRO & ULLMAN. LLP Division of Standards and Labeling Regulations Office of Nutritional Products, Labeling, and Dietary Supplements (HFS-820) Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition January 9,2002 Based on the foregoing, we believe that FDA should accept this filing on behalf of Micro Gaia as providing sufficient evidence that AstaReal, astaxanthin extracted from Haematococcus algae, when used under the conditions recommended in the product labeling, can reasonably be expected to be safe for human consumption. In support of this, we have also included testing data which reflect the purity of Micro Gaia’s product as manufactured. If you require any additional information, please direct all correspondence to the undersigned. Very truly yours, ULLMAN, Encls. SHAPIRO & ULLMAN,,&P GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITYMEDICALCENTER Department of Physiology and Biophysics School of Medicine To Mark Day Chief Financial Officer Micro Gaia, Inc. From: Harry G. Preuss MD, MACN, FAAIM, CNS Professor of Physiology, Medicine, and Pathology Georgetown University Medical Center Washington, D.C. 20007 Re: Astaxanthin Safety Date: 1 1/20/01,2001 At your request, I have examined the literature pertaining to the safety of astaxanthin. The report below was derived from the material you fwwarded, and material obtained over the intemet from PubMed and companies involved in the manufacture of the antioxidant. From the material presented to me by your company, I am also aware that prior astaxanthin notifications to other manufacturers of astaxanthin by the FDA determined that astaxanthin presented essentially no safety issue. 1. EVIDENCE FOR SAFETY FROM DIETARY FINDINGS Astaxanthm is a red pigment that gives color to many living organisms (7). Natural astaxanthin gives salmon and shrimp their red color. Astaxanthin is prewlent in human food stuffs, especially salmon and rainbow trout and also occurs in lobsters and shrimps, in fish eggs, and in other fish species (2). Accordingly, the pigment is found in many human foods and consumed by many. In commercial fish and austa~farms,astaxa~iscommon~addedtofeedstomakeupfora~d<of natural dietary sources (3,4). Indeed, it was found to be necessary for the growth and survival of many organisms (3). A reGent S~~WY of salmonid fish found the following concentrations of astaxanthin ( 5): 1 3900 Reservoir Road NW 202 687-1512 Washington DC 20007-2197 202 687-7407 jti& SPECIES Wild sockeye salmon Wild Coho salmon Wild pink salmon Wild chum salmon Wild Chinook king salmon Wild Atlantic salmon ASTAXANTHIN RANGE 3&58 mglkg 9-a wrg/kg 3-7 Tl&l +fmm l-22mgkg 5-7fwkl . ASTAXANTHIN AVERAGE 40.4 nlgikg 13.8 n@q 5.4 mg/kg 5.6 mgkg 8.9 mq/kg 5.3 mgikg average of all species = 13.2 mg/kg Based on these concentrations, the typical f&h consumption of 0.25 kg would result in a low intake of 1.325 mg of astaxanthin from the Atlantic salmon to a high intake of 10.1 mg from the sockeye salmon. Based on the all species average concentration, the intake of astaxanthin from salmon would be 3.3 mg. The recommended dose of astaxanthin for nutraceutical use would easily fit in this range. A ubiquitous algae is the most prevalent commercial source. Haematococcus pluvalis algae occurs worldwide and is believed to be the organism which can accumulate the highest levels of astaxanthin in nature. Thii organism accumulates 1,000 to 3,000 higher levels than salmon. No toxicity associated with Haematococas has ever been reported in the literature (6). The general composition of Haematococcus algae consist of common carotenoids, fatty acids, proteins, carbohydrates and minerals. Haematococcus algae meal has been approved in Japan as a natural food color and as a pigment in fish feeds. The structure of astaxanthin is similar to that of other carotenoid pigments like beta carotene; however astaxanthin is a more powerful antioxidant than either beta carotene or vitamin E (7,8). Like other carotenoids, astaxanthin cannot be synthesized In anlmak and must be provided ln the diet. Because of its strong antloxkkm capabilities, astaxanthin has been postulated to have some benefit in cardiovascular diseases like atherosclerosis and strokes, macular degeneration, cancer and various neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. Much interest has been focused on the latter two diseases, because astaxanthin can pass the “blood brain banier”, meaning it can deli antioxidant benefit diiectly to the brain and central nervous system. SUMMARY Astaxanthin is a carotenoid and shouM be as safe as other carotenoids. In addition, astaxanthin has been found safe as an animal supplement and is already in the human faad chain. 2. ASTAXANTHIN TOXICITY-RELATED STUDIES IN ANIMALS Astaxanthin has been approved as feed for salmonid fish for a number of years. 2 The original petition for use as a feed was filed by Roche Vitamins and is in seven volumes (9). Acute toxicii studies in animals were carried out in rats and mice over a tenrlayperiodanddosesupto8000mg/kgbodyweigtrtshowednomortalityor toxidty When mut agenlcity -wasrested, no miitatioii were induced in Salmonella typhimurium strain using concentrations of 0.03-0.05 n-g/plate in the Ames test whether rat iii homogenates were a-ted or not. In another test of mutagenic&y using the Micronucleustest, no chromosamal breaks nor mitotic dysjunction were found in tiw with doses of 500, 1,000, and 2,000 mg/kg of body weight. concerning teratology and embryotoxicity studies, doses of 100, ZOO,and 400 mg/kg/day were given to pregnant rabbits for a 12 day period. At 30 days of gestation, the examination of fetuses showed no malformations. The mothers all tolerated the astaxanthin well. In rats given astaxanthin, no embryotoxic or teratogenic effects of astaxanthin were observed. Reproductive studies on rats and dogs revealed no perturbations from the high doses used. Thirteen week tderance tests on rats and dogs revealed no toxic efkts Three different lots of Haematococcus algae were administered by gavage to Charles River CD rats (9). 5,000 mg/kg were administered in a 0.5% aqueous methycellulose solution. In a thirteen day study on both male and female rats, no visible abnormalities were noted and the rats continued to gain weight during the entire study. In antoher study, doses of lo,41 7-18,000 mg/Kg given by oral gavage did not reveal any toxicity, even when organs were examined postmortem. Therefore, the LD SO was judged to exceed 18,000 mg/kg. A 13-week oral, repeated-dose toxicity study of haematococcus color, a food additive mainly composed of astaxanthin, was conducted in male and female F344 rats (10). Rats were randomly divided into ti groups each consisting of 10 males and 10 females and given a powder diet containing 0,0.025,0.075, and 0.2S”/6 haematococcus, i.e., 0, 0.5, 1.5, and 5% as the pro&t. None of the animals died during the administration period. There were no exposure-related changes in body weight gain or food consumption. Serum biochemical examinations showed a doserelated increase in cholesterol, but the differences were slight and not defined as an adwseefkct Noeffectsrelatedto tmatmemwerenotedinthehematologii examinations and organ weights, and no abnormalities that could be ascribed to exposure to haematococcus color were observed in histopathdogical examinations. The authors concluded that ingestion of haematococcus colorinthedietfor13weeks did not cause any toxicdoglcal changes in F344 rats. ThreegroupsofmaleWbtarrats(13~1~)werefed3Odayswithsynthetic diets containing 0.1% of beta carotene, canthaxanthin, and astaxanthin (11). Another gmupwasfedwithaqntheticcftetwithoutcarotenoids. Theresultsshowedthatthe beta carotene did not induce change in plasma cholesterol, but cathxanthin and astaxanthin induced a significant increase in cholesterol concentration. However, the increase was due mainly to HDL, the good cholesterol. 3 Fii tissues from a Haematococcus algae feeding to rainbow trout were analyzed for toxic effects and neoplasia (1). All &sues examined were normal in appearance with no indication of disease, toxicity, or neoplasia. All fish examined were in excellent nlittitioi~l stti~is iiv’rthabundant body W. Gross findings indicate that no adverse effects on health were observed from Haematococcus algae meal as the dietary source of astaxanthin. SUMMARY Animal studies, where extremely high doses of astaxanthin were used, show a wide range of safety in the use of thii antioxidant. 3. ASTAXANTHIN TOXICITY-RELATED STUDIES IN HUMANS Astaxanthin was administered daily over two weeks to five subjects at 3.6 mg/day,to~subjeccsat7.2mg/day~tothreesubjectsat14.4~~ A physiological efkcts on oxidized LDL was noted, but no adverse effkts were reported atanydose(12). Lignell(13) followed 40 healthy volunteers over six months: one half received one capsule containing four mg astaxanthin (algae meal) and the other one half received a placebo. No signifitint differen&% W&e ob%Wd bmeetl the two group with the exception of the strength endurance tests. These improved on the antioxidant. Thirty-three healthy adult volunteers were given astaxanthin obtained from Haematococcus pluvialis dry algae meal. Each subject consumed daily over 29 days either a low dose (3.85 mg) or a high dose (19.25 mg) astaxanthii. No adverse reactions were found after examining -weight, skin coloration, general appearance, blood pressure, near and distant vision, color vision, depth perception, general eye condition, ears and nose, mouth, throat and teeth, chest and lungs, reflexes, blood analyses and urinalyses. SUMMARY Although the studies arc iiiited, human trial to date show no adverse e!vents fiomconsumptionofthenutmceutical. CONCLUSIONS Inlightofthisinformation,thereappearstobeM>questionastothesafetyof Micro Gaia’s astaxanthin product. In addition, I believe that Micro Gaia and the Federal Food and Drug Administration can reasonably rely upon the Agency’s prior acceptance of safety data submitted by other companies marketing asta xanthin as a %ew dietary ingredient” in the United States. All evidence points to complete safkty in the use of astaxanthin. Astaxanthin deserves no more concern when used in proper dosing than the use of other carotenoids such as beta carotene. 4 BIBLIOGRAPHY Torrissen OJ, Hardy RW, Shearer KD: Pigementation of salmonids - carotenoid l., deposition and metabolism. CRCCrit Rev Aquat Sci 1:209-2X, 2000. Aquasearch, Inc: Technicalreport TR2102.001,1999. 2. Ton&en OJ, Christianson R: Requirement for carotenoids in fish diets. J Appl 3 Ichthyd 11:225-230,1995. Roche Laboratories: Carophyii Pink http://www.roche.com. 4. Turujman SA, Warner WG, Wei RR,Albert RH: Rapid liquid Chromatographic 5. method to diitinguish wild salmon from aquacultured salmon fed synthetic astaxanthin.J AOAC int. 80:62X32,1997. Technical Bulletin ##060, Cyanotech Corporation: A technical review of 6. Haematococcus A&i& 1999. Temo J: Antioxidant activity of betxarotene-related carotenoids in solution. 7. i&ids 24:659-661,1989. Miki W: Biological functions and activities of animal carotenoids Pure Appl 8, them 63:141-l 46,199l. Roche Vitamins and Fine Chemicals: Hoffman La Roche, inc. Astaxanthin as a 9. pigmenter in salmon feed. CAP 7CO211. 10. Ono A, Sekita K, Saitoh M, Umenmukra T, Ogawa V, Furuya T, Kaneko T, inoue T:A13weeksubchronicorsdto>dcitystudyofhaemgtococcus cokxinF344rats. 11. Kokuritsu iyakuhin Shokuhin Eisei Kenkyusho Hokoku 11Z91-98,1999. Muriiio E: Hypercholesterdemic effect of canthaxanthin and astaxanthin in rats. Arch Latinoam Nutr 42: 409413,1992. 12. Miki WW, Hosoda K, Kondo K, itakura H: Astaxanthin-containing drink. Patent application number 10155459. Japanese Patent Office. Publication date 16 June 1998. 13. LigneilA: Medicament for improvement of duration of musde function or treatment of muscle disorder or diseases. Patent Cooperation Treaty appiiition #991125 1. AstaCarotene AB, Sweden. 14. Aquasearch, inc.: Technical Repan TR.3005.00 1,1999. Harry G. Preuss MD, MACN, FAAIM, CNS P&essw of *ysWgy, bdidne, and Pathology Georgetown University Medical Center 5