Jackson, Wis.-based Lake Consumer Products, a subsidiary of Wisconsin Pharmacal Company LLC, has acquired the exclusive North American rights to sell and distribute a clinically tested, over-the-counter product that addresses many of the key symptoms associated with Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS).
Lake Consumer Products acquired the license from Back Bay Scientific, a Cambridge, Mass.-based research-oriented company that develops and commercializes functional food products addressing mass-appeal health needs.
Lake Consumer Products plans to launch the product, previously known as PMS Escape, under the trade name vH essentials PMS Relief Formula.
“Lake Consumer Products is excited about bringing this proven technology to market,” said Jody Currie, director of innovation and business development at Wisconsin Pharmacal Company. “We believe this formula has the potential to positively impact the health and well-being of millions of women.”
The PMS Relief Formula that will be marketed under the vH essentials brand consists of complex carbohydrates that work naturally with the body to increase, indirectly, the synthesis and activity of the neurotransmitter serotonin. Reduced levels of brain serotonin have been linked with PMS-associated mood disturbances such as anxiety, anger, poor impulse control, an inability to concentrate and appetite changes.
In two clinical trials, the product improved typical PMS symptoms such as anger, tension and confusion for about three hours after consumption of the product. In addition, self-reported cravings for sweet and starchy foods were also significantly diminished.
The product’s developer, Dr. Judith Wurtman, has directed a program in women’s health at the MIT Clinical Research Center, founded a weight management center at a Harvard University Hospital and has published several books on nutrition and weight loss.
