Ingredient supplier Euromed has received the American Botanical Council (ABC)’s 2024 Varro E. Tyler Award for commercial investment in phytomedicinal research.  
 
The Spain-based manufacturer specializes in botanical extracts and other herbal ingredients for the pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, food, pet care, and cosmetics industries.
 
The Varro E. Tyler Award was named after the late-20^th century North American scientist who specialized in herbal medicine and pharmacognosy. Varro E. Tyler, PhD, was vice president of academic affairs and dean of the College of Pharmacy and Pharmacal Sciences at Purdue University, and an early ABC Board of Trustees member. He was the author of six editions of a pharmacognosy textbook in the U.S., and several other books and articles. Tyler advocated for proper evaluation of a phytomedicinal product’s quality, safety, and efficacy.
 
“We’re thrilled to receive the ABC Tyler Award, which honors the legacy of Professor Varro E. Tyler and recognizes our ongoing commitment to phytomedicine research,” said Andrea Zangara, head of scientific communications and marketing at Euromed. “This prestigious award reflects our commitment to the principles advocated by Professor Tyler: the rigorous evaluation of botanical products through scientific investigation to ensure their quality, safety, and efficacy.”
 
Euromed was founded in 1971 by German phytopharmaceutical company Madaus. Today, it is part of the Dermapharm Group, a producer of pharmaceuticals and other healthcare products based in Grunwald, Germany.
 
“We’ve led the pharmaceutical industry in providing standardized extracts from cultivated and wild plants like milk thistle, saw palmetto, St. John’s wort, and horse chestnut, prioritizing quality control from seed to patient,” Zangara said. “In 1971, we introduced the first standardized milk thistle extract, widely researched in thousands of patients for its hepatoprotective properties.” 
 
More recently, in 2004, the company invested in a saw palmetto berry extraction facility in central Florida, with an emphasis on sustainable practices, traceability, and optimizing fatty acid content for consistent therapeutic outcomes in research and applications. In 2018, the company acquired a production facility in Murcia, Spain, to strengthen its capabilities in the nutraceuticals market with a growing line of Mediterranean fruit and vegetable extracts.
 
“In addition, we continue to support independent academic research by providing high-quality extracts and expertise for studies in several health areas,” Zangara said. “Winning the ABC Tyler Award makes us even more determined to continue investing in the research and development of botanical products for the global pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, and food markets.”
 
Recent research on Euromed’s products includes a 2023 clinical study on its Wellemon flavonoid extract, which received a Best Paper Award from Antioxidants, the journal in which it was published. Another recent article also found that Pomalive, a polyphenol-standardized pomegranate and olive fruit extract, was beneficial in dyslipidemia and other measures of heart health, and this study was a finalist for Nutrients’ Best Paper Award.
 
“I knew Professor Tyler quite well for over 20 years — as a mentor, colleague, and friend,” said Mark Blumenthal, ABC founder and executive director, “and I know that if he were alive today, he would wholeheartedly support ABC’s decision to grant this namesake award to Euromed.”
“When I think of ways to describe Euromed, the words ‘quality’ and ‘trust’ are among the first that come to mind,” said Stefan Gafner, ABC Chief Science Officer. “A lot of my trust in the quality of their ingredients comes from the company’s long-standing commitment to clinical research into the extracts that they manufacture. Some of their research, e.g., on milk thistle and saw palmetto, is part of the foundation on which the evidence-based medicinal use of these plants is built.”