A Study published in the August Volume of Molecular Nutrition & Food Research (Special Issue: Resveratrol - Current Status and Outlook) enttitled Enhancing the bioavailability of resveratrol by combining with piperline, found that the absorption of resveratrol was signifcantly increased when combined with piperine (black pepper extract) in lab mice.

BioPerine^® is a standardized extract from the fruits of Piper nigrum L. (black pepper) or Piper longum L. (long pepper). It contains a minimum piperine content of 95% compared to the 3­9% and 3­5% found in raw forms of Piper nigrum and Piper longum,  respectively. BioPerine^® may be coadministered with various nutrients for both human and animal health.

The US Patent and Trademark Office has completed a formal review of Sabinsa Corporation's patent for black pepper extract,  BioPerine^®,  and has found the intellectual property to be valid.

The corporation announced in November it was taking legal action against DNP International for allegedly infringing patents protecting the use of its  BioPerine^® and Forslean extracts. Respect for intellectual property is critical in sustaining the spirit of research and innovation and in making these efforts economically worthwhile. Sabinsa Corporation has built a sizeable intellectual property portfolio and actively advocates the protection of intellectual property.

Sabinsa Corporation has been granted its third patent by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on the use of its trademarked black pepper extract  BioPerine^®. The current patent, U.S. Patent No. 5,972,382 (October 26, 1999) is a divisional application of U.S. Patent No. 5,744,161 (1998) and U.S. Patent No. 5,536,506 (1996). It discusses compositions and methods for increasing nutrient bioavailability, improving gastrointestinal (GI) absorption and systemic utilization of nutritional materials,  increasing nutrient induced thermogenesis,  and increasing lean body mass by the administration of one or more nutritional materials with a bioavailability enhancing amount of piperine.

 

Sabinsa Corporation was assigned a second patent on its trademarked standardized black pepper extract, BioPerine^®,  by the U.S. Patents and Trademarks office.

The first patent on the use of BioPerine^® as an enhancer of nutrient bioavailability, (U.S. Patent 5,536,506) was issued in 1996. Patent 5,744,161 dated April 28, 1998,  covers the use of piperine as a bioavailability enhancer for a broader range of nutritional supplements.

The salient features of the oral, topical and parenteral compositions with piperine described in the patent, include increased gastrointestinal absorption and improved transfer of nutrients / biological compounds through various biological membrane barriers in the body,  as well as enhanced systemic utilization of these compounds. The patent also describes a new process for the extraction and purification of piperine.

The 1996 patent awarded by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office to Sabinsa Corporation on the use of the trade marked extract of black pepper,  BioPerine^® (containing at least 95% piperine) has been much in the news recently, on account of misinformation generated by oleoresin maufacturers who tried to sell the product for its patented use. Critics have made a totally false accusation that the patent interferes with the export of black pepper and its products from India.

The patent refers to the USE OF PIPERINE,  specifically to increase the bioavallability of compounds such as vitamins, amino acids and minerals in nutritional supplement formulations. It is not a product patent and does not infringe upon the export of black pepper,  piperine or pepper oleoresin from India, Indonesia or Sri Lanka. Based on documented research and detailed clinical studies, the patent only serves to render credibility to the use of a piperine as an enhancer of nutrient bioavailability.