Expanding our HMO portfolio
Following the approval of our 2FL and LnNT HMOs as infant formula ingredients in China in 2023, major infant formula players have been introducing our ingredients in their formulas and are awaiting final consumer product approval by the Chinese authorities. We also continued to extend the portfolio with new HMO approvals in the UK and EU in 2024.
This development reflects a growing understanding of the potential benefits of HMOs in early life, infancy and beyond, and creates unprecedented opportunities for tailored nutrition solutions.
In April 2024, we announced our partnership with probiotics pioneers Lallemand Health Solutions to launch a range of new synergistic symbiotic solutions. These will combine HMOs and probiotics to benefit infant health by enabling a microbiome closer to that of breast-fed infants, thereby supporting immune system functionality and optimal developmental trajectories.
Accelerating the algal shift
In October 2024, we transferred the majority of our MEG-3® fish oil business to KD Pharma Group. This allows us to focus on growing our algal omega-3 life’s®OMEGA portfolio, which is backed by our world-leading IP, scientifically-proven nutritional equivalency to fish oil, secured supply, and sustainability data. In 2024, life’s®OMEGA O3020 – the first algal-based lipid with high EPA content – became available in the EU and USA for use in the category ‘Food for Special Medical Purposes’, and we launched a variety of life’s®OMEGA products tailored to the requirements of individual customers.
Improving ‘Health from the Gut’
Our Humiome® portfolio supports gut health with a range of powerful prebiotics, probiotics, and postbiotics. In 2024, we launched:
- Humiome® B2 MTT a first-of-its-kind ‘biotic’ with patented Microbiome Targeted Technology™, delivering 90% of vitamin B2 directly to the gut microbiome in the colon
- Humiome® B. lactis with probiotics – the most documented Bifidobacterium in the world, with strong clinical proof of improving digestive tract health and immune function, and supporting healthy aging
Bringing progress to life across our segments
Within our Dietary Supplements business, we expanded our ‘Health from the Gut’ platform and launched our partnership with Indena, broadening our portfolio with science-backed botanicals.
Strong regional successes included approval from European regulatory body EFSA for ampli-D®, our faster, more effective form of vitamin D, and the roll-out of two global carotenoids in China and Asia-Pacific. Rising demand for medical nutrition products means tackling poor palatability and consequential low compliance is critical. To achieve this, we introduced targeted solutions to significantly elevate the consumer experience and support adherence to nutritional care plans. These solutions included the taste-masking of amino-acids, omega-3s, and plant-based proteins, as well as novel protein delivery formats.
In Nutrition Improvement, we launched our powerful ‘Making Hidden Hunger SEEN’ campaign with a hugely successful webinar. We also became the first company on the African continent to achieve 36 months of stability data with UNIMAP MMS. Through our Millers 4 Nutrition collaboration, we additionally helped to achieve increased compliance in the production of fortified flour in Kenya and Nigeria and to accelerate consumer access to adequately fortified flour.
Healthy growth in Biomedical
Our Biomedical business again delivered strong results. In February, we started expanding our facilities and digital infrastructure to enable us to improve our offer during 2025, while new application and development launches across product lines helped improve patient outcomes.
Biomedical launched several new portfolio innovations and extensions in 2024, including new fiber product lines in the Ulteeva Purity™ family – the gold standard in medical orthopedic and vascular applications. In the field of natural materials, we expanded our global market share of naturally derived regenerative materials for supporting wound care and reconstructive surgery. This was driven by growth in applications for sports medicine, led by Asia-Pacific.
i-Health performance fueled by North America
i-Health, our direct-to-consumer business, grew in North America, fueled by Amazon and the Medical Channel across brands. Key US launches included the AZO® Urinary and Vaginal infection test kit and the Amazon launch of Lactéol® diarrhEase™, a postbiotic for natural recovery from diarrhea.
Culturelle® achieved double-digit growth in US hospitals and long-term care facilities as well as on Amazon, and continued to gain market share in Canada, Brazil, and Turkey, driven by health-care professionals (HCP) recommendations and consumer marketing investments. Meanwhile, our AZO® and Estroven® brands grew across all channels thanks to increasing consumer interest and category momentum in women’s health.
