Raphael Thys
Company’s new Niagen+ IV treatment claimed to raise NAD+ levels higher and faster than conventional IV therapies.
Healthy aging bioscience company ChromaDex has introduced Niagen+, a pharmaceutical-grade intravenous and injectable form of Niagen, the company’s patented form of NAD+ precursor nicotinamide riboside (NR). The product will be available in IV, shot and push forms at select clinics with a prescription starting this summer.
NAD+ is a coenzyme essential for various cellular processes, including mitochondrial function, cellular energy production and DNA repair. However, NAD+ levels tend to decline with age, which has driven consumer interest in NAD+ precursors – compounds, like NR, from which our bodies can synthesize NAD+ through diet. ChromaDex has developed commercialized Niagen, which has become one of the most well studied NAD+ precursors on the market.
In recent years, there has been a surge in the popularity of NAD+ IV therapies, intravenous treatments that administer NAD+ directly into the body. However, ChromaDex claims the practice can be associated with a high prevalence of “uncomfortable” side effects, including headaches, stomach pain, diarrhea and nausea. The company is now set to launch its own IV therapy, Niagen+, in addition to its established consumer dietary supplement, Tru Niagen.
A clinical trial of Niagen+ in humans appears to demonstrate the product’s advantages over “conventional” NAD+ IV treatments. The trial results, published as a preprint on MedRxiv, showed that treatment with Niagen+ IV had no adverse side effects, exhibiting superior tolerability, and with a 75% shorter infusion time compared with NAD+ IV.
“I am pleased that ChromaDex has developed an impeccably pure Niagen IV formulation, which is demonstrating a less stressful experience than NAD+ IV,” said renowned NAD+ expert Dr Charles Brenner, Chief Scientific Advisor to ChromaDex. “I am confident that Niagen IV will be the gold standard IV material used to test NAD+ boosting for health conditions, and I look forward to future research.”
While not yet peer-reviewed, the preprint paper also appears to show that Niagen+ is more effective in elevating blood NAD+ levels, with peaks occurring sooner and reaching higher levels within three hours post-infusion. ChromaDex says it plans to generate additional data from larger participant groups to “quantify and validate” its findings.
“NAD+ IV has gained popularity amongst celebrities, athletes, and longevity experts because of the substantial benefits but the experience can be unpleasant,” said Rob Fried, CEO of ChromaDex. “Niagen IV is much faster, provides superior tolerability, and importantly elevates NAD+ levels quicker and higher.”
Niagen+ will initially be available in limited quantities at select clinics starting in August, with plans for broader clinical expansion. The product will enter the booming intravenous hydration therapy market, which was valued at $1.15 billion in North America in 2022. ChromaDex estimates that the NAD+ IV market in North America is already worth more than $100 million.
“Niagen IV not only has the potential to help millions looking to support healthspan, but also may provide an option for those dealing with health-related conditions,” said Dr Bal Nandra, Medical Director at IV Solution and Ketamine Centers of Chicago. “We are thrilled with the clinical study results and look forward to future research as Niagen IV sets a new standard in the NAD+ industry.”
READ MORE: Charles Brenner on why longevity is not a simple engineering problem
Photograph: halfpoint/Envato