Simi Valley Company to Fund UCLA Human Nutrition Center

Pharmanex in Simi Valley has announced plans to fund the UCLA Center for Human Nutrition, Pharmanex Phytochemical Laboratory, the first center of its kind for scientific research in the dietary supplement industry.

The laboratory is the culmination of months of planning by Pharmanex and UCLA, establishing a research center to speed the development of standardized dietary supplements.

“The center is designed to be a catalyst to drive the dietary supplement industry to a higher standard of scientific excellence,” said Dr. David Heber, director of the UCLA Center for Human Nutrition.

The laboratory will develop new technologies for research and focus its attention on two areas: natural product research, and quantitative fingerprinting of active components and nutrients. One of the primary uses of the laboratory will be to develop dietary supplements based on the most advanced scientific findings available, officials said.

“We are committed to a higher level of scientific excellence and challenge every company in the dietary supplement industry to pursue pharmaceutical-like standards to ensure standardization, substantiation and efficacy,” Pharmanex President Bill McGlashan said.

The donation to the UCLA laboratory is the first initiative to result from the newly formed relationship between Nu Skin Enterprises and Pharmanex. Nu Skin Enterprises recently announced that it has completed the acquisition of privately held Generation Health Holdings, the parent company of Pharmanex.