Milk helping the fight against Covid-19

Placebo-controlled human clinical trials with chewable tablets containing 25% bovine lactoferrin are now likely to be carried out.

Laboratory tests have shown that bovine lactoferrin from cows’ milk exhibited a wide spectrum of antiviral activity against several Covid-19 strains.

There has been worldwide media publicity for the milk ingredient, after the antiviral properties of the milk ingredient were revealed in a recent research report in the Journal Of Dairy Science co-authored by Loren Ward, chief R&D officer at Glanbia Nutritionals, and University of Michigan researchers Jonathan Sexton, Jesse Wotring, and Reid Fursmidt.

Glanbia Nutritionals said more investigation is needed, in a clinical setting, to fully understand the antiviral potential for bovine lactoferrin against Covid-19.

As one of the lactoferrin market leaders globally, Glanbia Nutritionals is well-positioned to benefit from the news of extra health properties. Since 2015, Glanbia Nutritionals has been increasing lactoferrin production capacity.

The research finding will also be good news for consumers worldwide who boosted dairy demand worldwide by an estimated 2.3% in 2020, a trend that continued in 2021, when stronger demand for dairy products was especially evident in Asia. Consumers responded to dairy products being promoted as a good source of protein and an important part of the diet to strengthen the immune system. This has now been confirmed in the Glanbia Nutritionals/University of Michigan report.

“Lactoferrin’s broad inhibition of Sars-CoV-2 variants in conjunction with the low cost and ease of production make this an exciting clinical candidate for treatment or prevention of Sars-CoV-2 in the future,” said the researchers. They showed for the first time that lactoferrin has potent efficacy across different viral strains, including the Omicron and Delta variants.

Placebo-controlled human clinical trials with chewable tablets containing 25% bovine lactoferrin are now likely to be carried out.

In their experiment, bovine lactoferrin supplied by Glanbia Nutritionals inhibited Sars-CoV-2 (the virus that causes Covid-19) variant infection by blocking the virus’s ability to enter cells. The lactoferrin was also found to support cells’ antiviral defences.

The researchers held out the possibility of the milk protein being a useful orally available therapeutic for treating Covid-19 in parts of the world without widespread vaccination, or if new strains dodge the vaccine.

Orally administered bovine lactoferrin has also been shown to reduce the severity of other viral infections.

Lactoferrin is also established in healthcare as a supplement allowing the body to receive the right balance of iron without stomach and intestinal discomfort. Iron is the number one micronutrient deficiency worldwide, according to the World Health Organization.

The global lactoferrin market is forecast to grow at a rate of 6.8% from €200m in 2020 to €340m in 2028, said a recent business report.

Bovine milk is by far the largest source from which lactoferrin is derived for human consumption.

Also found in human milk, lactoferrin is thought to help to protect breast-fed infants against infections.