Fresubin® is a medical nutrition brand owned by Fresenius Kabi, a global healthcare company specializing in medicines, infusion therapy, medical technology, and clinical nutrition. The brand focuses primarily on enteral nutrition—providing energy, protein, vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients to people who cannot meet their nutritional requirements through ordinary food alone. 1

Fresubin is not simply a conventional food or dietary-supplement brand. Many Fresubin products are classified as foods for special medical purposes (FSMPs) and are intended to be used under medical supervision.

Fresubin says its products have reached more than 300 million lives in over 75 countries over its history. 2

Fresubin is a clinical nutrition product family developed by Fresenius Kabi. Its purpose is to bridge the nutritional gap between what a person can obtain from normal food and what their body requires.

In practical terms, Fresubin products may be used when a person:

• has inadequate food intake;
• has poor appetite or unintended weight loss;
• has increased nutritional requirements because of illness;
• needs additional calories or protein;
• has difficulty eating or swallowing;
• is recovering from surgery or serious illness; or
• cannot obtain sufficient nutrition through normal eating and requires tube feeding.

Enteral nutrition can be delivered orally or through a feeding tube, provided the gastrointestinal tract is functioning sufficiently.

This makes Fresubin particularly relevant to hospitals, nursing and care facilities, home healthcare, rehabilitation, and clinical nutrition programs.

Origins

The history of Fresubin is closely connected with the much older history of Fresenius.

The roots of the Fresenius organization go back to the Hirsch Pharmacy in Frankfurt, Germany, opened in 1462. In 1912, pharmacist Dr. Eduard Fresenius established the pharmaceutical company Dr. E. Fresenius.

The company subsequently expanded into areas including pharmaceutical products, infusion therapy, dialysis-related technology, and nutrition.

1975 — Birth of Fresubin

1975 is the key date in Fresubin’s history. Fresenius describes this as the beginning of the Fresubin brand and its long-term involvement in enteral nutrition.

The first ready-to-use Fresubin tube feed is also documented in Fresenius’s corporate history as being introduced in 1979, reflecting the development of Fresenius’s enteral-nutrition portfolio during this period.

1980s–1990s

Fresenius expanded its enteral-nutrition activities and developed home-care approaches for patients requiring enteral feeding.

In 1984, Fresenius established a home-care concept for patients receiving enteral nutrition and expanded its enteral-nutrition range.

In 1993, Fresenius introduced Supportan®, a tube feed for enteral nutrition in oncology.

1999 — Fresenius Kabi

A major corporate milestone occurred in 1999, when Fresenius combined its pharmaceutical activities with the international infusion business acquired from Pharmacia & Upjohn’s Kabi business to form Fresenius Kabi. 3

Fresubin subsequently became part of Fresenius Kabi’s broader clinical-nutrition portfolio.

It is important to distinguish the brand from its parent company.

Fresubin = brand

Fresenius Kabi = healthcare company behind the brand

Fresenius Kabi’s portfolio extends far beyond Fresubin. The company operates across areas including:

• clinical nutrition;
• infusion therapy;
• IV generic medicines;
• medical devices and technologies;
• biosimilars; and
• products used in hospitals and home healthcare.

Fresubin is specifically positioned within the company’s clinical/medical nutrition business.

The Fresubin portfolio is considerably broader than a single nutritional drink. Fresenius Kabi describes Fresubin as including ready-to-drink beverages, yogurt-style supplements, powders, and tube feeds.

The exact range varies by country.

Oral Nutritional Supplements

These are products consumed by mouth to supplement a person’s normal diet. Examples in the Fresubin family include:

• Fresubin 2 kcal Drink
• Fresubin 2 kcal Fibre Drink
• Fresubin 2 kcal Mini Drink
• Fresubin 2 kcal Fibre Mini Drink
• Fresubin 3.2 kcal Drink
• Fresubin Energy Drink
• Fresubin Energy Fibre Drink
• Fresubin Protein Energy Drink
• Fresubin PRO COMPACT Drink
• Fresubin Jucy Drink
• Fresubin YoDrink
• Fresubin Plant-Based Drink
• Fresubin 5 kcal Shot

These examples come from Fresenius Kabi’s current UK professional product range; availability and formulations differ between markets.

Tube Feeding

Fresubin also produces formulas designed for enteral tube feeding. Tube feeding may be necessary when a patient cannot consume enough food or drink orally but their digestive system can still be used for nutrition. This is particularly relevant in hospital, long-term-care and home-enteral-nutrition settings.

Dysphagia Nutrition

Fresubin has specialized products for people with swallowing difficulties (dysphagia). For example, Fresubin Thickened products are pre-thickened oral nutritional supplements designed around standardized levels of texture modification. One current formulation provides 1.5 kcal/ml and has a high protein contribution.

Specialized Clinical Nutrition

The portfolio also includes formulas designed around particular nutritional requirements and clinical situations. Fresenius Kabi says its portfolio includes specialized products addressing metabolic conditions and intensive-care needs, alongside general nutritional support.

The basic concept is relatively straightforward. A patient may consume enough food to survive but still fail to obtain sufficient calories, protein, vitamins, minerals, fluids, or other essential nutrients.

Fresubin products are formulated to provide concentrated nutrition in a controlled and convenient form. For example, a high-energy product can provide substantially more calories in a smaller volume than an equivalent amount of ordinary food.

This can be especially useful for people who feel full quickly, have poor appetite, have difficulty preparing or eating meals, require additional protein, have increased energy requirements, or need nutrition delivered through a feeding tube. Fresenius Kabi describes the products as designed to “close the nutritional gap” between ordinary dietary intake and the body’s nutritional requirements.

Fresubin is primarily associated with patients and people requiring medical nutritional support, rather than the general sports-nutrition market. Potential users can include:

• older adults experiencing inadequate nutritional intake;
• patients recovering from surgery;
• people with chronic illnesses;
• people experiencing disease-related malnutrition;
• patients with increased nutritional requirements;
• people with swallowing difficulties;
• patients receiving rehabilitation;
• people receiving home enteral nutrition; and
• patients who require tube feeding.

The appropriate product depends heavily on the individual’s medical and nutritional circumstances.

One of Fresubin’s defining characteristics is its strong connection to clinical healthcare. Unlike a conventional meal-replacement or sports drink, Fresubin products are frequently incorporated into professional nutritional-care plans.

Healthcare professionals may consider factors such as the patient’s energy requirement, protein requirement, fluid restrictions, ability to swallow, gastrointestinal function, disease state, nutritional status, texture requirements, and whether nutrition should be provided orally or through a feeding tube.

Consequently, Fresubin is commonly encountered in hospitals, rehabilitation centers, nursing facilities, and home-care programs.

Fresubin’s brand positioning is based on clinical nutrition rather than lifestyle nutrition. Fresenius Kabi describes its approach around four broad ideas: science-based nutrition, patient-centric innovation, partnership with healthcare professionals, and Fresenius Kabi quality.

The company’s 2025 Fresubin materials describe the portfolio as having more than 50 formulations and 30 flavors, although the exact portfolio varies by market.

This illustrates an important aspect of Fresubin: it is not one standardized drink intended for everyone. It is a family of formulations designed for different nutritional situations.

Different Fresubin products can vary substantially, but the portfolio can generally be understood through several characteristics:

• Energy density: Some products are designed to provide concentrated calories in a relatively small volume. For example, products in the range include 2 kcal/ml and even higher-energy formulations.
• Protein: Some formulations emphasize protein provision for people with elevated protein requirements or inadequate protein intake.
• Fibre: Certain Fresubin products contain fibre, while others are formulated without it. Fibre-containing formulas may be selected when appropriate for a patient’s nutritional and gastrointestinal needs.
• Texture: Fresubin also offers products designed for people who have difficulty swallowing, including thickened products.
• Format: Depending on the product and country, Fresubin can be supplied as bottles, smaller concentrated drinks, shots, powders, spoonable/yogurt-style products, ready-to-use tube-feed containers, and feeding-system formats such as EasyBag.

Fresubin has developed from a European clinical-nutrition product into an international brand. Fresubin currently states that it is available in more than 75 countries and that its products have touched more than 300 million lives. 4

However, Fresubin is not necessarily identical in every country. Product names, flavors, package sizes, nutritional compositions, regulatory classification, and availability can differ according to local regulations and healthcare systems. This is particularly important when comparing Fresubin products between countries.

Fresubin’s development illustrates the broader evolution of clinical nutrition. Its earlier focus was heavily associated with enteral tube feeding. Over time, the brand expanded into a much broader nutritional-support ecosystem, including:

Tube feeding → oral nutritional supplements → high-energy nutrition → high-protein nutrition → dysphagia products → specialized clinical formulations → newer formats and plant-based options.

Fresenius Kabi highlights developments such as Fresubin 2KCAL Crème in 2014, Fresubin Plant-Based Drink in 2023, and Fresubin Protein Shot in 2025 as examples of the brand’s evolution.

2025 marked 50 years of Fresubin. The anniversary was used by Fresenius Kabi to emphasize the brand’s five-decade history in enteral nutrition and its continued focus on patient-centered nutritional care.

The company describes Fresubin’s history as beginning in 1975, while its broader corporate heritage extends back more than a century.

The anniversary also highlighted the idea that nutritional support is not merely about supplying calories but can contribute to a patient’s ability to regain strength and return to everyday activities.

The current Fresubin positioning can be summarized as: Nutrition as part of recovery and quality of life.

Rather than positioning itself primarily as a wellness beverage, Fresubin emphasizes the role of nutrition when normal dietary intake is inadequate. Its current brand communication focuses on concepts such as restoring strength, supporting recovery, maintaining nutritional status, helping people remain independent, supporting quality of life, and making medical nutrition easier to use in everyday life.

Fresenius Kabi describes this broader philosophy as “Caring for Life.”

1. Company Overview | Our Story of Nutritional Support | Fresubin
2. Fresubin®: 50 Years of Innovation in Enteral Nutrition
3. 50 Years of Nourishing Strength, Wellbeing & Joy
4. More Than Nutrition: 50 Years of Fresubin® and a Promise for the Future