Abbott serves up nutrition for specialised needs

It becomes difficult for a cancer patient, losing weight from the illness, to tolerate medication or treatment. The patient is not healthy enough and nutrition is low, says Amal Kelshikar, explaining the condition where a specialised food could help supplement the body’s nutritional requirements.

Kelshikar heads Abbott’s nutrition business in India and his task includes building awareness around specialised products for cancer, kidney or diabetes related problems, or just those tailor-made for active or ageing adults, infants and lactating mothers. The Indian nutrition market at ₹4,500 crore contains a sweep of products from vitamins to supplements and protein powders, but does not differentiate between adult, paediatric or specialised products.

Replacing nutrients A patient with kidney problems and losing proteins, for instance, needs to replace those specific nutrients, says Kelshikar, seated in his office, with nutritional products ProSure, Nepro, Glucerna, Ensure, Mama’s Best, Similac and PediaSure lined up on a shelf behind him. Nutrition is big for Abbott, accounting for 30 per cent of its global $22-billion revenue, growing at eight per cent and divided almost equally between child and adult nutrition. In fact, it is the biggest of Abbott’s four business segments, including pharmaceuticals, diagnostics and devices.

Pointing to Glucerna, Kelshikar says, it is “complete and balanced”. For those looking to manage diabetes or obesity, it regulates blood glucose and kills the craving to gorge on snacks. Glucerna digests and releases energy slowly, so “your desire to snack comes down because you are full and you have energy,” he explains. Since it does not cause a drop or spike in sugar-levels, it helps in weight management, he says, adding the claim is backed by research. The products are available at chemists and there is no adverse effect if bought off the rack to manage weight, he clarifies.

Though a natural diet is best, Kumar Prabhash, a medical oncologist with Tata Memorial Hospital, agrees that a supplement helps if a patient is “nutrition deficient” or has lost weight and needs to be strengthened for further treatment. Such foods are useful in oesophagus cancer or in head and neck conditions, he explains.

With no market differentiation, Abbott’s competition ranges from Nestle’s infant food to a GlaxoSmithKline or Amway’s beverages. But as India’s illness burden increases (with high diabetes and cancer incidence), specialised foods have a useful role, observes Arvind Singhal, Chairman of Technopak Advisors. But is there a risk of becoming a product-centric country that pops a pill rather than eat a fresh fruit? A regular diet is important, says Singhal, but a specialised food aids recovery or meets specific requirements.

Abbott imports its products from Singapore. But by later this year, its Gujarat plant is expected to become operational. The company seeks to increase its locally sourced ingredients to 80 percent, in two years. Meanwhile, its Bangalore research centre with Syngene works on getting products to meet local food regulations or bring out new flavours, and it will look at products designed for local needs, says Kelshikar.