Trade secret and patent protection for nutraceuticals. Can't get more current than that. And three lawyers from Foley & Lardner provide info on both in a pair of articles published in the last week or so.

First there's "Keeping trade secrets under wrap" published on NUTRAingredientsUSA.com which points out, and rightfully so, that trade secrets are both valuable and vulnerable at the same time.

Second, there's "The Benefits of Patents for Nutraceuticals" on Mondaq.com [free registration required] which points out that obtaining patents for supplements can help establish exclusive markets.

The authors at Foley are Jim Ewing, Sharon Mollman Elliott, and Mike Morency.

Very topical and worth the read for sure.