GN BioSolution said on the 5th that it has made a full-fledged entry into the wellness market with the launch of the men's prostate health functional food "AlphaSwitch SAGX."
The main ingredient of AlphaSwitch SAGX is SAGX, extracted from the root of danshen (Salvia miltiorrhiza). The company said it used its proprietary extraction and concentration technology to raise the rare active compound "cryptotanshinone," which exists in danshen at only about 0.2%–0.3%, by roughly 50 times to a 10.5% content. The company said SAGX has been approved by the Ministery of Food and Drug Safety as an individually recognized ingredient, allowing exclusive use for up to seven years.
In a 12-week, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial of 136 adult men in Korea, the group that took 400 mg of SAGX per day showed significant improvement across all items of the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS). Key symptoms such as nocturia, weak stream, and intermittency, as well as quality-of-life indicators, also showed statistically significant differences compared with placebo.
In nonclinical studies, the ingredient was found to act on multiple physiological pathways that affect prostate health. It reduced oxidative stress in the body and eased inflammatory responses, while also influencing hormone actions related to prostate enlargement. In some measures, it showed effects at a level similar to finasteride, an existing treatment, the company said.
AlphaSwitch SAGX is taken once a day, two capsules. It is designed so users can take six combined functional ingredients at once, including zinc, selenium, and B vitamins, for prostate health and more. The product was developed with participation from Yoon Juseok, CEO of Currom Bioscience, and Park Jihyun, director of Seoul Newgen Urology (urologist).
A company official said, "SAGX is an individually recognized ingredient acknowledged by the Ministery of Food and Drug Safety for prostate health functionality, an innovative material appearing 16 years after saw palmetto," adding, "We will expand our presence in the men's wellness market by leveraging differentiated ingredient competitiveness."
Meanwhile, GN BioSolution is a DDS (drug delivery system)-based biotechnology corporations founded in 2019, pursuing a "two-track strategy" that secures stable cash generation based on health functional foods while using beauty-tech, which applies soluble microneedle technology, as a growth pillar.
References
Nutrients (2025) https://doi.org/10.3390/nu17010024