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Are drugmakers fishing for a market with prescription omega-3s?

Nature Medicine volume 18, page 6 (2012)Cite this article

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The market for fish oil supplements dates back more than two centuries to when British fishermen started selling the oil oozing from cod livers as a miracle cure for many ailments. Today, fish oil is enjoying a renaissance for a slew of purported health benefits, from reducing cholesterol and lessening asthma to treating dry skin and slowing aging. But, rather than pouring crude oil products from a decanter, most people nowadays tend to get their health-promoting omega-3s in the form of squishy gel-capsules containing refined fatty acids, which have grown to become the third most popular dietary supplement in the US.

Aiming to capture part of the growing market, big pharma has recently cast its hook into the fish oil frenzy. London-based GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) now offers a prescription omega-3 fatty acid pill called Lovaza, which posted sales of more than $820 million in 2010. And, on 25 November, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) accepted a new drug application for an omega-3 medication known as AMR101, developed by Dublin-based Amarin.

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  1. Rebecca Hersher
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Hersher, R. Are drugmakers fishing for a market with prescription omega-3s?. Nat Med 18, 6 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1038/nm0112-6

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