https://bio.nikkeibp.co.jp/atcl/news/p1/25/01/17/12857/

Hokusan Co. has developd an animal medicine “Interberry α,” made from genetically modified strawberries. It will be released on the Korea market in February 2025.

Interberry α is an animal medicine made by introducing the canine interferon gene into strawberries, and the freeze-dried powder is applied to the gums. It was approved as a gingivitis drug for dogs in 2013, and in 2023, its indications were expanded beyond animal species to include gingivitis in cats. It was jointly developed by Hokkaido-based Hokusan, which manufactures and sells agricultural chemicals, the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, and Kitasato Daiichi Sankyo Vaccine (now merged with Daiichi Sankyo), a member of the Daiichi Sankyo Group, and is manufactured and sold by Hokusan.

For sales in Korea, Interberry α manufactured by Hokusan will be sold by GREEN CROSS VETERINARY PRODUCTS, a manufacturer of veterinary medicines. It has also been approved in Korea by the Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency, the regulatory authority, as a treatment for gingivitis in dogs and cats.

Interberry α is considered to be a representative product of biomanufacturing using plants. According to Professor Kazuhito Fujiyama of the International Center for Biotechnology, Osaka University,  Interberry α is the world’s first product as a medical protein produced in a plant body.

photo from J Plant Biotechnol 2016;43:147~150 https://doi.org/10.5010/JPB.2016.43.2.147