Business is Boring with Dr Shaun Holt

Business is Boring is a weekly podcast series presented by The Spinoff in association with Callaghan Innovation. Host Simon Pound speaks with innovators and commentators focused on the future of New Zealand, with the interview available as both audio and a transcribed excerpt. This week he talks to Dr Shaun Holt, creator of Honevo.

New Zealand honey is some pretty wondrous stuff, many will be familiar with manuka honey's clinically proven qualities, but it doesn't stop there. Today's story is about a serial entrepreneur who turned a medical and research background into a clinically proven kānuka honey product. When you hear that a product is all natural, yet as effective as a synthesised pharmaceutical product, you might find your skepticism rising, which is why today's guest went out and created a groundbreaking study, recently reported in the British Medical Journal Open, to prove his product's case.

Utilising a network of pharmacies, Dr Shaun Holt got his Honevo cold sore gel, made from 90% kānuka honey, into the hands of hundreds of cold sore sufferers. In a huge trial they proved that their product was as effective as the market leader gold standard incumbent, and tasted a lot nicer too! This success traces back quite a long way, Dr Shaun Holt is a trained pharmacist, doctor; successful author and a serial entrepreneur who started and exited a clinical research company and a research overview service before setting his sights on the pharmaceutical industry, where the spoils are large, but the cost of entry can be mindboggling. To talk the journey, the many steps leading to today, and what's next, Dr Shaun Holt of HoneyLab joined the podcast.

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