GNC, Nutri Pharma Sign Agreement to Co-Market Products Line

General Nutrition Centers (Pittsburgh) has signed an exclusive co-marketing agreement with Nutri Pharma ASA, a European developer of functional foods, to manufacture, market and distribute Nutri Pharma's soy-based weight reduction brand, Nutrilett, in the U.S. and Canada. Nutrilett is a patented soy-based meal replacement product to facilitate weight loss while also lowering cholesterol. The product has held a market-leading position in the Nordic Countries since its introduction in 1989.

GNC and Nutri Pharma anticipate that the marketing agreement will serve as the platform to grow and expand Nutrilett as a global brand through the introduction and marketing of new products. GNC will initially market the product through its 4,203 retail outlets and on the Web through its on-line partnership with drugstore.com.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently approved the health claim that 25-g of soy protein a day, as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol, may help reduce the risk of coronary heart disease. GNC has established "soy centers" at its retail stores to help educate consumers about how to include soy in their daily routines, and to provide them with a wide range of easy to use soy products and supplements.

"Soy products clearly have an important role to play in a healthy daily diet for American consumers," said Susan Trimbo, GNC's VP of scientific affairs. "Nutri Pharma's products are based on solid scientific research which shows that the patented soy based products are extremely effective. Five million Europeans have been safely consuming Nutrilett for 10 years. We are confident that Nutrilett will be able to distinguish itself in the fast-growing and highly competitive global nutraceutical market, and that this product will enhance GNC's ability to offer customers the best variety of scientifically-researched soy products."

"We are delighted to be working with GNC in extending the reach of the Nutrilett brand in the world's largest market for nutritional products," added Michael Oredsson, CEO of Nutri Pharma. "GNC is the best-known name in nutrition marketing in the U.S. and has unique penetration across the specialty, drugstore and online distribution channels."

Nutri Pharma ASA (Oslo, Norway) was founded in 1993 by Dr. Lars Hoie, MD, PhD (Appl), and Trond Syvertsen (MBA). The company focuses on innovative functional foods based on proprietary soy-technology.

Edited by Scott Hegenbart