Dr. Avnish Jolly, Chandigarh:Vitamin B12 deficiency can cause anaemia, dementia and reduced cognitive functioning, which afflicts millions of people worldwide. The elderly and strict vegetarians are most at risk from the disease, which shows up with symptoms such as fatigue, constipation, loss of appetite and weight loss.
At present, physicians rely on shots for people with vitamin B12 deficiency because of the poor record of oral formulations. Only about 1% of a vitamin B12 tablet is absorbed after travelling through the digestive tract. An oral option may soon replace 40 million intra-muscular injections required for treating vitamin B12 deficiency among patients every year.But a new oral formulation developed by Emisphere Technologies claims an absorption rate of between 7% and 30%.
Cristina Castelli researcher said that our current studies have shown our oral solid formulation brings vitamin B12 absorption to a range of 7-30% without the discomfort of an invasive route of administration.