Nestlé Health Science and Hutchison China MediTech (Chi-Med) have formed a 50-50 joint venture (JV) for the research, development, manufacturing and commercialisation of medicines and nutritional products derived from botanical extracts. The JV, to be named Nutrition Science Partners, will initially focus on gastrointestinal diseases and may subsequently expand into metabolic diseases and brain health. It will also assume responsibility for the development of Chi-Med’s HMPL-004, an oral therapy for inflammatory bowel disease that is derived from a botanical extract and which is scheduled to begin Phase III trials in early 2013.