OSLO, Norway —NattoPharma Group, maker of MenaQ7, reported accelerated interest in the branded vitamin K2 and said it is poised to take off because demand is there and global systems are now in place for greater efficiencies and scale.

First half 2017 revenues rose by 18.6% to $3.84 million, which was below original forecasts.

Among the investments the company credited with building the market are its clinical studies.

During the first half of 2017, the company ramped up its efforts on the pharmaceutical development front and a new MenaQ7 study was published inBMC Nephrologyshowing benefit for hemodialysis patients. Patents have been filed for both cardiovascular disease and kidney treatment.

Eric Anderson, SVP of global marketing and business development at NattoPharma, said in an interview last month that the company is involved in two clinical trials with patients: one involving coronary calcification and the other aortic calcification.

“When we look at vitamin K2 as menaquinone-7, we believe this is everything that is good about the natural products industry,” he toldNutrition Insight.

NattoPharma presented an abstract at the International Conference on Children’s Bone Health correlating K2 deficiency with increased fracture risk in children. Wiley’s Finest created the first kid-specific product featuring MenaQ7 in combination with DHA/EPA omega-3.

“We are seeking new ingredients that meet our science-based, validation and quality criteria. We are current in latter-stage negotiations for a novel ingredient with the potential to be launched within six months,” the company stated in a report released with the financial results.

Published on WholeFoods Magazine Online, 8/16/17