Chemist’s book gives arthritic patients hope

Press, 23 September 1980, Page 13

Chemist’s book gives arthritic patients hope

By

KEN COATES,

don

in Lon*

An Auckland chemist Mr John Croft, who researched and developed the extract of green-lipped New Zealand mussels as an effective treatment for arthritis, has sold more than 100,000 copies of the book he wrote about his findings. He is now travelling to Europe for the publication of German, Dutch and Belgian editions of “ReFrom Arthritis,” which has been selling in' English in Britain, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand. Ireland, Scandinavia, and parts of Europe. Mr Croft is . in Britain just as clinical trials by the Glasgow Homoeopathic Hospital confirming the effectiveness of the' extract have been published in the latest issue of the journal, the “Practitioner.” He said that when he wrote his book, he knew about the findings, but it had taken a year for official publication in a reputed medical journal. The trials show that the mussel extract is effective in 68 per cent of patients with rheumatoid arthritis and 40 per cent with osteoarthritis. The extract is marketed

in Britain under the name, Seatone, but Mr Croft says other firms are now also harvesting the mussel and one product uses his name as part of its title. The public analyst was at present analysing the rival product. He is science consultant for McFarlane Laboratories. Mr Croft, ' a former tanker captain who grew up in Lancashire, has established a research fellowship at the University of Auckland to try to discover how the mussel extract actually works in relieving arthritis. He also wants to establish a similar fellowship for post-graduate work at an Australian university. New Zealand’s immense marine resources have convinced him there is other material which can be applied possibly to the treatment of multiple sclerosis and caner. “But to establish what exists in this field, it is necessary to utilise the expertise of universities and specialists in marine natural products.” he says. H plans to stay in New Zealand at Whenuapai for the next year and write another book related to the first, but outlining his earlier experience in the use of mussel extract.