Yorkshire weight loss firm upbeat about its future

The York-based firm, which develops compounds to tackle obesity, high cholesterol and diabetes, said it was encouraged by strong revenue growth in the first half of 2021.

It said that despite the challenging trading environment created by Covid-19, which has limited its ability to innovate and launch new products, it has seen a number of partners launch new products in the latter stages of the first half.

The group said: "We believe these product launches, the extension of territories with existing partners, the prospect of agreements with corporate partners in key strategic markets, the continuing flow of new agreements and product launches, and the growing realisation of the development pipeline, allow us to look forward with confidence to the further progress of the company in the current year and beyond."

Total invoiced sales of probiotic LPLDL and SlimBiome (an ingredient to support weight loss and weight management) were £1.074m in the six months to June 30, a rise of 44 per cent over the first half period last year and ahead of company expectations.

OptiBiotix said it is in a strong position to meet or exceed its full year sales forecast.

Holland & Barrett, the chain of health food shops, extended its SlimExpert own-brand range, which contains SlimBiome weight loss products, from three to eight in March.

The range now includes powdered beverages, shakes and porridge and further line extensions are planned for the rest of the year.

Stephen O’Hara, CEO of OptiBiotix, said: “The company is now in the strongest position it has ever been in with a large and valuable intellectual property portfolio in the microbiome space, multiple clinical studies showing product safety and efficacy, recurring orders, and a valuable asset in OptiBiotix’s holding in SBTX.

“We are also pleased to report progress with our pipeline of second-generation products with the industrial scale up of a range of our innovative SweetBiotix products with one partner, collaborative work with a second partner on jointly scaling up and commercialising another group of SweetBiotix products, and a number of large corporates signing Material Transfer Agreements as they develop applications containing SweetBiotix.

“With industry and consumer interest in the microbiome and gut health growing OptiBiotix’s portfolio of award winning first generation and industry disruptive second-generation products places it in a strong position for future growth in this exciting area of healthcare.”