Climate
Pharmaceutical Applications of ABP Ingredients
Case Study 5
Transforming animal by-products into life-saving medicines and health supplements — maximizing value from every part of the animal.

Case Study 5: Pharmaceutical Applications of ABP Ingredients
By carefully segregating by-products from cattle, pig and fish, high value components are converted into specialised niche pharmaceutical products for medical treatments and dietary supplements for humans. This helps to achieve maximum value from the animal.
Heparin
A critical blood thinner and anticoagulant — one of the WHO's essential medicines, saving over 100 million lives each year.
Chondroitin Sulphate
A bone, skin and joint health supplement derived from cartilage, widely used in the treatment of arthritis and joint diseases.
Glucosamine
A naturally occurring compound supporting joint health and cartilage maintenance, produced from animal by-products.
Hyaluronic Acid
A key ingredient in joint lubrication and skin health supplements, extracted from animal tissues.
Collagen
The most abundant protein in the human body, produced from bovine, porcine, chicken and fish by-products for health supplements.
These active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) represent the cutting edge of how the animal processing industry contributes directly to human health and medicine.
Heparin: A Life-Saving Medicine from Animal By-Products
"Heparin saves the lives of over 100 million people each year and is one of the World Health Organization's essential medicines."
Heparin is the most commonly used coagulant to treat and prevent thrombosis and is widely used as a blood thinner during most surgery. It is exclusively found in the intestinal gut mucus of pigs and is harvested as a by-product during intestinal casing processing for sausages.
The Heparin Supply Chain
Companies such as Swiss Nutrivalor AG and Van Hessen quickly and carefully extract and preserve the mucosa after slaughter and deliver it to their pharmaceutical partners such as Bioiberica in Spain to produce pharmaceutical grade Heparin.
Chondroitin Sulphate
Companies such as Centravo AG in Switzerland process the windpipes and larynges of pigs and cattle. The derived cartilage is supplied to the pharmaceutical industry for chondroitin sulphate manufacture. This dietary supplement also plays an important role in the treatment of arthritis and other joint diseases.
Collagen: Rebuilding the Body from Within
Collagen supplements are manufactured by companies such as Ten Kate in the Netherlands and are used to boost natural collagen levels in humans. Collagen is an abundant protein in humans and is the major component of connective tissues found in tendons, ligaments, skin, and muscles.
Undenatured Collagen
The natural type of collagen carefully extracted from chicken cartilage. It acts as an immune modulator to maintain natural renewal and rebuilding of strong, flexible joint cartilage, preserving its native structure throughout the extraction process.
Hydrolysed Collagen
A denatured collagen produced through enzymatic hydrolysis of collagen derived from bovine hide, bone, pigskin or fish. These bioavailable peptide building blocks are rapidly absorbed by the body and promote the synthesis of new collagen to help rebuild connective tissue.
Control of Supply Chain
Ensuring the highest quality and safety standards from farm to final pharmaceutical ingredient — every step of the Heparin supply chain is rigorously controlled and audited.


01
Authorised Farms
The animals are sourced exclusively from authorised farms, ensuring traceability and compliance from the very beginning of the supply chain.
02
Audited & Authorised Slaughterhouses
It guarantees that the material comes exclusively from animals approved for human consumption, meeting the strictest food safety standards.
03
Dedicated Transport
The raw material is transported in dedicated units to prevent cross-contamination and maintain the integrity of the biological material.
04
Control of Materials
The material is controlled and analysed at every stage to avoid cross contamination and verify quality before processing begins.
05
Manufacturing Units
The product is manufactured under strict GMP conditions in a state-of-the-art manufacturing plant — USFDA inspected and passed.
06
Final API and Ingredients
High quality product, fully compliant with the most restrictive and up-to-date monographs (EP, USP, JP) — ready for pharmaceutical use worldwide.
Next: Case Study 6