Pharmanex red yeast "mutant" strain patent shows intent to enhance lovastatin -- Merck.
This article was originally published in The Tan Sheet
Executive Summary
PHARMANEX RED YEAST RICE PATENT APPLICATION DESCRIBING "MUTANT" STRAIN demonstrates the company's Cholestin dietary supplement is made of traditional red yeast rice that has been manipulated to ensure a substantial lovastatin content, Merck argues in May 5 comments to FDA. An international patent application filed by Pharmanex and Peking University Sept. 29 "makes clear that Cholestin is not traditional red yeast rice, or Hong Qu, and that the process for producing Cholestin has been modified to produce a new product enhanced for production of ingredients that lower cholesterol," Merck maintains.