Immuron achieves strong sales numbers with Travelan

Microbiome biopharmaceutical company Immuron (ASX: IMC) has revealed encouraging sales numbers in relation to its over-the-counter gastrointestinal and digestive health supplement Travelan.

The biotech company reported that the supplement continued its “robust sales growth” in the third quarter of the 2017-18 financial year, reaching A$1.37 million in revenue sales — a 40% increase on the same period last year.

The third quarter of the current financial year saw US Travelan sales “surge ahead”, achieving A$166,000 in total and marking a 95% increase compared to the A$85,000 sales figure achieved for the same period in the previous financial year.

Immuron says that year-to-date, its US sales have hit A$501,000 in the nine months ending March 31, compared to A$180,000 in sales for the same period last year.

“These figures demonstrate that Immuron is on track to more than double its 2017 sales of Travelan in the US market by the end of the 2018 fiscal year,” according to a statement from Immuron.

Australian and US sales in focus

Immuron is currently developing and commercialising orally delivered targeted polyclonal antibodies for the treatment of inflammatory-mediated and infectious diseases with Travelan representing its frontline commercial product as the company advances other drugs through clinical trials.

Just in Australia, Travelan continues its sales momentum achieving A$863,000 for the nine months ended March 31, 2018, representing a 9% increase on the same period last year.

The strong market traction achieved by Travelan in both the US and Australia is being attributed to “continued trade marketing” in major Australian pharmacies and Immuron’s 193-strong passport health travel clinics in the US.

Immuron also said that it plans on adding a further 39 clinics to its distribution network over the coming 3 months, which is expected to bolster its US-driven sales number even further.

Stalwart defence capability

With its strong sales revenue figures pleasing shareholders, Immuron also reports a further operational boost relating to recent US Department of Defence (DoD) research which indicates that the “antibodies in Travelan were able to bind and reactive to all 180 strains of bacteria tested demonstrating the broad spectrum antimicrobial potential of the product,” according to Immuron’s marketing manager, Mr David Montgomery.

In other words, Travelan could potentially have even greater industry and consumer applications than first thought, and therefore, could attain even greater marketability over time and with further research.

A research report published by the US DoD “has generated excitement within the investor market and the travel medicine community” said Mr Montgomery.

The primary goal of this US DoD program was to investigate Travelan’s immunological reactivity with pathogenic bacteria including Campylobacter, Enterotoxigenic E-coli and Shigella with test results indicating a potentially new avenue of commercialisation for Immuron.

The tested bacterial originated from the Armed Forces Research Institute of Medical Sciences in Bangkok, Thailand an overseas laboratory of the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research library of infectious diseases.

The pathogenic bacteria were retrieved from infected personnel deployed in Bhutan, Cambodia, Nepal and Thailand over a 20-year period.

“The research findings have provided further data to build on existing clinical trial results for Travelan and have provided us with a powerful message to take to the market,” said Mr Montgomery.