Food supplement Indeptra from USA

Question

What do you think of this offer?

The non-profit-CF research group Sharktank (https://sharktank.org) sells under www.planetarybiosciences.com the food supplement "Indeptra". Indeptra is a natural composition for CF containing polyphenoles and antioxidants. These polyphenoles have reduced demonstrably inflammation in the laboratory and in human beings and/or acitvated the CFTR function. 270 tablets (that are sufficient for one months when taking the recommended 3x 3 tablets daily) are sold in the USA for 49 Dollars. As it is not a drug, the insurance will not cover it. Due to the duty law it is recommendable to import Indeptra via a pharmacy in the USA.
An effect can be expected probably only after several months of intake. Single patients report however short-dated increased cough or astonishing improvements ("I have never coughed as much since now, however not as if I was ill: here clots are coming out"). Due to a lack of financial support there are however no studies, that prove the efficacy of the mixture.
The tablets contain curcumin, resveratrol (a polyphenole) and piperin (from black pepper), a combination, for that CF patients report positive effects. Further polyphenoles (naringin and quercetin, crataegus) should increase the CFTR activity and the frequency of the beat of the ciliae. Silmarin from the Marian thistle has anti-fibrotic effects and protects from inflammation. Further ingredients are anti-oxidants like epigallocatechingallat (EGCG) from green tea and 7 and alpha-liponacid. Finally amentoflavone and forskolin should increase the signal molecule cAMP in the cell and protect against damage, in order to improve the CFTR- activity. With eating Indian food, green tea and much vegetables and fruit one could take these substabces all isolatedly so that dangerous side effects cannot be expected.

Natural Compounds as Therapeutic Agents in the Treatment of Cystic Fibrosis https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4828912/

Evidence against resveratrol as a viable therapy for the rescue of defective ΔF508 CFTR https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4587346/

Thank you for your answer! Stephan Kruip for the magazin of the German patient organization muko.info

Answer

Dear Mr. Kruip,
with your question you like to have a medical statement for the food supplement Indeptra. This is not a licensed drug, furthermore it is not accepted as a auxiliary. Indeptra contains the substances curcumin, resveratrol and piperin, that have partly been proved in different clinical studies, with the result of not a proven but only a possible positive effect in CF. The positive effect of Indeptra in case of CF is until now not scientifically proven. Therefore it belongs to the group of substances with a so-called unproven efficacy.
For this reason, a general recommendation on the therapeutic usage of this preparation in case of CF cannot be made. About a therapeutical trial with Indeptra in CF patients can therefore only be decided individually in cooperation with the treating CF physician in charge.
Best regards,
Dr. Christina Smaczny

20.06.2017