The following factors have a positive impact on the cholesterol reduction market:

The public is aware of the negative health consequences of elevated serum cholesterol and is willing to use medication or other methods to modify this condition.

Increased screening and publication of more carefully controlled clinical studies have shown that cholesterol levels that were deemed acceptable a decade ago are now considered to be diagnostic of higher risk. Hence, in spite of the introduction of powerful drugs, the market continues to grow.

As the "safe" level of serum cholesterol drops, there is an increasingly apparent need for less toxic drugs that can be administered over longer time periods. This became especially apparent in mid-2001 when Bayer withdrew the statin drug Baycol after 31 patients in the United States suffered from debilitating muscle weakness and died. In addition, novel strategies, such as safe dietary supplements or food ingredients can become attractive alternatives for the growing number of individuals who are reluctant to begin long-term drug treatment.

The National Cholesterol Education Program now recognizes that plant-derived sterols and stanols are effective agents for lowering LDL-cholesterol. This treatment method has now been incorporated into their Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes recommended for individuals with elevated LDL-cholesterol.

Taken together, Lifeline believes that all these market factors indicate that cholesterol reduction is an evolving market that is ready for new strategies based on biochemical mechanisms that have not been fully explored or that have been heretofore poorly understood.