Huons and Korea Food Research Institute (KFRI) said Thursday that they have registered a patent for Lactobacillus acidophilus YT-1, a menopause treatment.

The patent, owned by the KFRI and exclusively licensed by Huon's, protects the composition for Lactobacillus acidophilus YT-1.

The treatment is a probiotic strain derived from the next-generation sequencing (NGS) analysis of intestinal microbiomes. The company confirmed the efficacy and safety of the drug in an animal trial.

Huons expects that the treatment, which is the first probiotic strain in Korea that can help alleviate women's menopausal symptoms, will become highly marketable.

Huons and KFRI started the research after recognizing that the demand for menopausal treatment is growing steadily and the fixed demand is strong. Also, the public has recently changed views on menopause as a symptom that needs to be actively managed rather than a simple aging phenomenon.

“In addition to menopausal remedies, Huon's is working with the KFRI to develop various microbial therapeutic agents for intractable diseases such as atopy and allergies,” Huons CEO Um Key-an said. “We will continue to contribute to the improvement of public health and the reduction of social medical expenses by developing health functional foods with excellent functionality in cooperation with the KFRI.”

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