Hon Trevor Mallard
Minister for Economic Development

14 September 2007 Media Statement

Kiwi biotech companies to showcase at Japan event

New Zealand's first major mission to leading Japanese tradeshow BioJapan 2007 will be a unique opportunity to showcase kiwi biotechnology to the world's second largest pharmaceutical and biotechnology market, Economic Development Minister Trevor Mallard said today.

Trevor Mallard will lead the mission of 11 top New Zealand biotech companies at the BioJapan 2007 conference.

"Japan has generally been a challenging market for New Zealand companies looking to export, but the high regard in which our biotech industry is held has led to considerable Japanese interest," Trevor Mallard said.

"A key focus for the mission will be to promote New Zealand's strengths in nutraceuticals, and bioactives (the ingredients that promote health and well-being), as well as wound healing and human performance technologies. Companies will have the opportunity to meet with potential business partners and build business relationships in the Japanese market. There is significant potential for Japanese businesses and research organisations to partner with New Zealand counterparts to target new, high value opportunities. New Zealand's research and manufacturing capabilities will also be showcased.

"The theme for this year's BioJapan is 'Open Innovation' – something at which New Zealanders excel. The event is a great opportunity to showcase the cutting edge work New Zealand biotech companies are doing, particularly in the areas of health and wellness which are a priority for the Japanese," Trevor Mallard said.

BioJapan 2007 will take place on September 19-21 in Yokohama and further background material on the NZ mission is attached.

Trevor Mallard will attend a September 22-23 meeting in Montreal, Canada, as Oceania’s representative on the executive committee of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). The committee will be considering revisions to the Prohibited List (the list of performance-enhancing substances that are banned in sports) and the World Anti-Doping Code (the international agreement that sets out rules and penalties for doping).

Representing the New Zealand government, Trevor Mallard will also take part in the September 24 United Nations High Level Event on Climate Change in New York – an important lead-up meeting to the December UN climate change conference in Bali. New Zealand is an active participant in the international climate change process, and Trevor Mallard will provide a New Zealand perspective on this important global issue.

Trevor Mallard leaves New Zealand on September 18 and returns on September 27.

ENDS

New Zealand biotechnology and BioJapan conference background.

The New Zealand mission to BioJapan is being facilitated by government economic development agency New Zealand Trade and Enterprise. It includes companies already established in the Japanese market, such as Just the Berries which sells ingredients, functional foods and beverages containing anthocyanins from the ‘superfruit’ blackcurrants.

Other participants are leveraging off their existing reputation for health products in Japan to showcase new products. This includes honey company Comvita with its revolutionary wound healing technology. Comvita’s advanced wound care dressing made from manuka honey has proven to be effective in dealing with antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria.

Another exhibitor, CoDa Therapeutics also offers novel treatments for wounds and burns. The company’s tissue repair compounds have been shown to reduce lesion spread (cell death), swelling, inflammation, scarring and time to wound closure.

Other innovations from the New Zealand delegation include platform technologies that boost the immune system and improve gastro-intestinal health and allow very high levels of Omega-3 to be integrated with food products with no fishy smell or taste.

New Zealand has one of the fastest growing biotechnology sectors in the world with export earnings on track to reach NZ$1 billion by 2014. The sector is globally focused with 75 percent of over 650 partnerships and alliances formed by New Zealand biotechnology companies and organisations in the last two years involving international organisations.

The health ingredients and functional foods segment of the industry is one of the most vibrant, with nearly half of all companies planning to launch new products in the current year.

New Zealand’s edge in understanding the health benefits of foods has recently been illustrated with the launch of breakthrough research by Bio Japan participant and research institute HortResearch, showing how plants manufacture Vitamin C. The findings will enable HortResearch to identify DNA markers for individual plants naturally producing high levels of the vitamin. The plants can then be used in breeding programmes to produce fruit that gives consumers much higher levels of natural Vitamin C.

New Zealand has niche capabilities that provide solutions wanted by pharmaceutical companies in cutting edge areas like nanotchecnology, in manufacturing biochemicals and technologies to produce high value extracts from natural, raw materials, New Zealand is also a prime location for running clinical trials.

New Zealand companies attending BioJapan 2007:
- Australo (www.australo.com)
- BELTAS (www.beltas,com)
- CoDa Therapeutics (www.codatherapeutics.com)
- Comvita (www.comvita-jpn.com)
- HortResearch (www.hortresearch.co.nz)
- Industrial Research Ltd (www.irl.cri.nz)
- Just the Berries (www.blackcurrants.co.nz)
- Meracol (info@meracol.com)
- New Zealand Pharmaceuticals (www.nzp.co.nz)
- Speirs Nutrionals (www.speirs.co.nz)
- Zespri (www.zespri.com)

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