August, 30th 2023 - In 2023, A.Vogel celebrates its 100th anniversary on the market. It is a good opportunity to refresh the brand and focus on an important new aspect: scientific rigor.

A.Vogel carries medicinal products authorized by the Swissmedic therapeutic products authority. This requires efficacy studies with patients. Swissmedic also regularly inspects the production facilities. It will also need to authorize the latest tablet production facility, which the company decided to purchase in its anniversary year and in which it intends to invest four million francs. A.Vogel has its own in-house Research & Development department that plays a key role in the scientific testing of new products.

Incidentally, it is not only A.Vogel's logo and name that are well known—the company's most important medicinal plant is also popular: just one photo of the purple-colored red coneflower (lat. Echinacea purpurea) is associated with the name A.Vogel and an authorized medicinal product. Andy Suter says, “We are proud of this. However, this is both a blessing and a curse, because we must pay very close attention to ensuring that our communication complies with the strict legal requirements of a pharmaceutical manufacturer.”

Around one million francs for research and development—and a new study on sleep.

The Swiss manufacturer of herbal medicines and dietary supplements is launching a product made from lettuce and lemon balm in its anniversary year. To test its effect, A.Vogel is investing around one million Swiss francs in research in 2023.

One hundred years ago, naturopathy pioneer Alfred Vogel founded his first business in Basel.

He focused on the effects of freshly harvested plants, and the company A.Vogel in Roggwil TG still does. Today, it is one of the leading manufacturers of herbal medicines and food supplements, selling them in over 25 countries. A.Vogel CEO Andy Suter says, "We are convinced that there is still a lot of potential in the traditional wealth of knowledge that just needs to be discovered."

A.Vogel is currently launching a food supplement consisting mainly of lettuce, scientifically known as Lactuca sativa. The plant, which we often eat, was said by the ancient Egyptians and in the Middle Ages to have a sleep-promoting effect.

At Home Like in a Sleep Laboratory

The manufacturer has thoroughly tested the effect of the food supplement, which contains lemon balm as well as lettuce, in test tubes and on humans. Fifty healthy volunteers, who stated that they suffered from sleep problems, slept at home for 14 days as if they were in a sleep laboratory. The test subjects took the supplement for eleven days and did not take it for three days. They were wired up at night to measure brain waves, heart rate, and blood oxygen saturation. In addition, a multisensory bracelet and saliva samples transmitted important data. CEO Andy Suter explains the importance of this study: "We also want to know the effect of nutritional supplements and are proud that research is so important to us." If the company finds that the Lactuca product has a clear sleep-promoting effect and that there is promising demand from customers, further medical developments of the product are being discussed.

First Abroad

The new food supplement will be launched in the Netherlands, the UK, and Canada in 2023. Its dosage form is an elongated sachet, known as a stick, which contains a chewable powder. These resemble sugar sachets and are easy to carry and take.