Niagen Bioscience Solidifies Market Lead with Full Acquisition of Core NR Patent Portfolio

LOS ANGELES, CA – December 22, 2025 – Niagen Bioscience, Inc. (NASDAQ: NAGE), a prominent player in the science of healthy aging, announced today it has acquired the complete portfolio of core patents for nicotinamide riboside (NR) from Queen's University Belfast (QUB). The move transitions Niagen Bioscience from an exclusive licensee to the sole owner of the foundational intellectual property underpinning its flagship NAD+ precursor, significantly strengthening its competitive fortress in the healthy aging market.

Previously, the company held exclusive rights to this intellectual property through a long-standing licensing and joint ownership agreement with the university. This strategic acquisition consolidates ownership of the critical patents, which cover the production, composition, and commercial use of NR and its various salt forms. The transaction underscores Niagen Bioscience's commitment to defending its leadership position and protecting its innovations against infringement.

Securing the Foundation of NAD+ Science

The acquired portfolio represents the bedrock of NR intellectual property. It includes what are known as composition-of-matter patents, which are widely considered the most robust form of IP protection. Unlike process patents, which cover a method of manufacturing, composition-of-matter patents protect the molecule itself, regardless of how it is made or used. This provides a powerful barrier to entry for potential competitors.

Rob Fried, Chief Executive Officer of Niagen Bioscience, emphasized the importance of this consolidation. “This transaction consolidates the most important intellectual property underlying our NR business into Niagen Bioscience outright,” Fried stated. “Composition of matter patents are the strongest form of IP protection, and owning this portfolio further protects Niagen Bioscience shareholders against infringers of all known forms of the greatest precursor to NAD, NR.”

Among the patents now fully owned by the company is U.S. Patent No. 12,252,506. This specific patent is crucial as it covers the composition of matter for multiple NR salt forms, including promising derivatives like NR Malate and NR Tartrate. By securing these rights, Niagen Bioscience ensures its control over not just the current form of its hero ingredient, Niagen®, but also future iterations and related molecules that could emerge from its research pipeline.

Strategic Flexibility for Future Growth

Beyond defensive protection, sole ownership of the patent portfolio grants Niagen Bioscience enhanced strategic, financial, and operational flexibility. The company now has greater control over the development and application of its molecules, which is particularly relevant as it explores future pharmaceutical applications for NR. This newfound autonomy allows the company to pursue development, partnerships, or licensing of its IP on its own terms, without the complexities of a joint ownership structure.

This acquisition expands an already formidable intellectual property estate. Niagen Bioscience now holds more than 90 issued and pending patents worldwide related to NR and other precursors to NAD+ (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide), a vital coenzyme essential for cellular function that declines with age. With over 50 of these patents focused specifically on NR, the company's decades-long investment in NAD+ science is clearly demarcated and protected.

Niagen Bioscience, formerly known as ChromaDex Corp., has built its reputation on the science behind its patented NR ingredient, Niagen®. This ingredient is the foundation for its popular consumer supplement, Tru Niagen®, which is the leading NAD+-boosting oral supplement in the United States. The company also markets Niagen Plus™, a line of pharmaceutical-grade intravenous (IV) and injectable NR products available by prescription through specialized facilities. This latest move to consolidate its patent ownership ensures that its entire product ecosystem, from consumer supplements to future pharmaceutical innovations, rests on a secure and wholly-owned intellectual property foundation.