Joint care: why Arthrimed?
An article for veterinarians, June 2005…
The fact that Arthrimed really works is not a debate. Results speak for themselves – and so do phone calls and letters from grateful pet owners. The fact that your pet owners phone us to get supplies of the genuine benchmark product – instead of substitutes that they say don’t work – is something we think you should know about.
And now we tell you the truth behind the marketing hype concerning which is better: Green Lipped Mussel concentrate or Green Lipped mussel extract.
As the first company in South Africa, and as far as we know in the world, to combine the three key ingredients: Glucosamine, Chondroitin and Green Lipped mussel in one product, it was a matter of urgency for us to get to the scientific truth concerning concentrate versus extract.
It didn’t take long to confirm what we already knew: That the controversy was only a marketing ploy of the suppliers of the base materials. The two materials are essentially the same; in fact, the terms are interchangeable.
Before launching Arthrimed, Medpet spent more than two years doing clinical trials to establish the optimum blend of the active ingredients. It is our belief, from this research, that it is essential for a product of this nature to contain Glucosamine and Chondroitin for their cartilage-building, lubrication, and joint-repairing qualities. And the wonderful anti-inflammatory and pain relief properties of Green-lipped mussel means that the product should either contain Green-lipped mussel, or you should dose it as a separate individual supplement. We also found that in addition to the blend, the two vital issues that determined success in treatment were:
1) the use of the highest quality and purity of the active ingredients
2) the nature of manufacturing procedures
We apply that knowledge. That’s what makes the difference. We’re proud that Arthrimed soon became a market leader in neutraceutical joint care products. Also subsequent to the launch of Arthrimed, many joint neutraceuticals have been launched by other companies. In an aim to cut costs, many have dropped one or other key ingredient. The price might be cheaper, but is the product as effective? Numerous letters from grateful pet owners have helped to confirm our belief that we are the benchmark against which all joint treatments are measured.
Because we only supply veterinary wholesalers, we are placed in a difficult position when pet owners phone and want to buy directly from Medpet because their vet has prescribed an alternate product that the client says doesn’t work as well as Arthrimed. So why not stick to what works and give your pooch patients a product with a proven track record?
Medpet has kept its word to the veterinary fraternity: as a policy,we don’t sell Arthrimed directly to the public or pet shops. The product is only supplied to veterinary wholesalers so you, the vet, are the public’s sole source of supply.
A new development is Arthrimed in powder form. In response to requests from those who prefer to add a powder to their pet’s food, Arthrimed is now also available in a 250g powder. The formulation is exactly the same as the tablets. Five grams of powder equals one tablet. Because the tableting costs fall away, this product is even more affordable than the tablets. In due course Medpet hopes to launch a separate joint care product, with a different formulation, for the pet shop market, however, Arthrimed will continue to be Medpet's premium joint care product, containing the highest levels of the ultimate ingredients.