Rajat, your background is in computer science, and Vishal, your expertise lies in bioavailability and drug delivery solutions. How did your different skillsets inform the ethos behind Nutriventia?
Vishal: My background is in pharmaceutical sciences, with a formal degree in biomedical engineering and an MBA focused on addressing patient needs. I worked in medical devices for eight years and then joined the family business, Inventia Healthcare, managing manufacturing operations and technical areas in Novel Drug Delivery Systems (NDDS). Inventia, a pioneer in NDDS, was where I learned the challenges of improving prescription drugs' effectiveness. That ethos carried over to nutraceuticals. Our focus has always been creating easy-to-consume and effective products with improved bioavailability, and , time-release technologies, resulting in one-a-day dose.
Rajat: My background is in computer science, with an MBA in marketing and strategy. I spent my early career in academia at UT Arlington, working amidst research and technology transfer. Later, I started a software company solving problems for academia and brought this expertise into Nutriventia. My father’s battle with progressive supranuclear palsy and my mother’s spinal ataxia deeply influenced my commitment to preventative health. Nutriventia became the perfect platform to channel this passion.
Nutriventia has a focused portfolio of ingredients including extracts of turmeric and ashwagandha, and the sleep-inducer melatonin. What is the strategy behind the selection?
Rajat: We began with turmeric, starting with a basic 20% active ingredient product. However, we wanted to go beyond industry standards and eventually developed a 60% active product, free of synthetic additives, which is Clean Label project certified. We completed multiple clinical trials and pharmacokinetic studies, including comparisons with leading competitors. This product, TurmXTRA, set the foundation for our work. Building on this, we moved to ashwagandha. Its short half-life led us to create a sustained-release formulation, ensuring effectiveness with a smaller dose.
Vishal: Our focus is always on the native ingredient and its inherent challenges. For example, turmeric requires a high dose to be effective, so we concentrated on reducing that dose while maintaining efficacy. Similarly, ashwagandha is one of the best adaptogens but needed sustained release for prolonged effect due to its short half-life in human plasma. With melatonin, we applied the same methodology, addressing its role as a sleep aid.
Our goal is to simplify consumption by leveraging pharmaceutical knowledge to improve dose efficiency and bioavailability.
How do Nutriventia’s six proprietary delivery platforms differ from NDDS used in the pharma industry?
Vishal: Inventia Healthcare started in 1985, when NDDS was still largely theoretical. Its first major success was solving a formulation challenge for GSK, which led to the company’s growth. Over the years, we have built on this expertise, handling everything from complex drugs to site-specific delivery. However, when we shifted to nutraceuticals and founded Nutriventia, we had to adapt—pharmaceuticals often use harsher excipients due to shorter treatment durations. We spent nearly a year refining NDDS for nutraceuticals, using natural excipients to achieve the same benefits with a more consumer-friendly product.
Rajat: In pharmaceuticals, there are strict boundaries—we work with reference drugs, tweaking existing products within regulatory constraints. But in nutraceuticals, we have creative freedom to innovate. We can apply our NDDS expertise to create solutions that do not exist yet, addressing consumer pain points in entirely new ways. This focus on delivery platforms gives us a specialized niche in the market.
TurmXtra has achieved patents in the US and UK. How would you compare these markets with the Indian nutraceutical space?
Vishal: The Indian nutraceutical market is growing but still nascent. Since COVID, there has been a shift toward preventative healthcare, with more B2C launches focusing on herbal extracts and branded ingredients. I expect significant growth in the next two to three years. Globally, the US is our largest market due to its maturity and higher volumes. We invested heavily upfront in technical teams, ensuring a strong foundation for innovation. This approach ensures our partners receive ready-to-market products with robust data, including pharmacokinetics, clinical trials, and FDA-notified claims. Our investments in patents—39 filed globally, 7 granted—and 45 studies, including 12 peer-reviewed publications, underscore our commitment to innovation.
Rajat: In the last two years, we have launched successful products in Australia, Japan, and Brazil. Breaking into global markets was challenging because consumers often equate higher doses with better value. We have had to educate them on the benefits of low-dose, high-bioavailability products. It has been rewarding to see major brands adopting our innovations, like Blackmores in Australia, which launched three TurmXTRA SKUs. In Japan, where consumers prefer smaller doses, our sustained-release technology is a perfect fit.
With the gap between pharmaceuticals and nutraceuticals closing, how do you see this influencing the industry?
Rajat: This shift aligns with the concept of "Medicine 3.0," which focuses on prevention rather than just treating symptoms. Traditionally, studies in pharmaceuticals were done on diseased populations, addressing specific conditions like arthritis or insomnia. Now, in the nutraceutical space, our studies always start with healthy subjects, enabling preventative claims. For example, our flagship product Prolanza (aka Ashwanova) , based on ashwagandha, utilized the Cambridge Cognitive Assessment Tool (CANTAB) to measure cognitive performance, a unique approach in this industry. From a delivery perspective, convenience is key, with formats like gummies and sustained-release tablets well suited to evolving consumer preferences.
Vishal: Bridging the gap between pharmaceuticals and nutraceuticals is complex. In pharma, innovators like Pfizer, J&J or Eli Lilly invest heavily in clinical validation, enjoying patent protection for a period. Generics enter the market post-patent, replicating the formulation at a lower cost. In the nutraceutical space, branded ingredients play the role of innovators. While the regulatory approval process is not comparable to pharmaceuticals, the intent remains the same—to validate efficacy and dosage. Here our hope is more companies join us in our journey to validate the effectiveness of natural products using the same framework which pharmaceutical companies follow.
