Groundbreaking NZ-made eczema cream gets US patent
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 7 February 2018
An Auckland scientist who has tricked plant cells into rejuvenating instead of dying has just been awarded a US patent
for her eczema cream which contains the science.
The patent will help put the cream centre stage in the $6b global eczema treatment market.
New Zealander Dr Iona Weir spent seven years developing Atopis’ cream into its current form: a completely natural,
plant-based topical treatment with proven clinical results.
The Atopis cream is produced and sold globally under an exclusive licence agreement with Bionona, of which Dr Weir is
chief executive.
The cream is the culmination of knowledge from her 28 years of research and pharmaceutical development.
The eczema cream is so natural you can eat it and works by mimicking plants’ natural defences. It is the culmination of
knowledge from Dr Weir's 28 years of research and pharmaceutical development and has been put through rigorous clinical
trials in the US.
“Receiving the patent is very satisfying given the amount of work which has gone into researching and developing the
cream. It’s another achievement for what is a truly revolutionary product,” Dr Weir says.
Late last year, the cream received US Food and Drug Administration status as an over-the-counter pharmaceutical skincare
cream — a first for a New Zealand-developed eczema product that uses 100% natural ingredients.
“My research is unique. I have discovered how to reverse the process of a cell dying without releasing any harmful
substances,” Dr Weir says.
“In essence, I have used nature and advanced science to manipulate cell pathways. We’re effectively tricking the plant
cells into acting more like stem cells from which more cells are created.
“For the consumer, this means it’s an eczema cream which is exceptionally effective, without containing any steroids,
parabens, or solvents.”
Clinical trials in the US and New Zealand have proven the efficacy of the cream, for the treatment of mild to moderate
eczema.
Those tests, teamed with the help of American patent lawyers, helped pave the way for the revolutionary cream to be
approved in the US, the hardest country in the world to obtain a patent.
On Atopis’ social media, feedback for the cream has been overwhelmingly positive.
“I am now a VERY satisfied customer. 54 years suffering eczema and this is the first time I have had a product that has
delivered on its promise,” Michelle Towersey posted on Facebook.
Outside of the US, the patent has been filed globally and accepted in Europe, China, Hong Kong, Canada, Taiwan,
Australia and New Zealand.
The global patent gives Bionona security and freedom to operate within major international markets, taking pure, natural
health to millions of people.
Available now through the Atopis website, the patent means online retail giant Amazon will also stock the Atopis range
from April.
At that point, the cream currently marketed as Dry Itchy Skin Relief Cream will be rebranded as Eczema Therapy Cream.
ENDS