Amerifit Nutrition Acquires Culturelle Probiotic Brand

02/11/06 Amerifit Nutrition, Inc. announced its acquisition of Culturelle, the leading probiotic dietary supplement in the United States for clinical research and scientific support. Culturelle is the top-selling brand in the chain drug category and one of the fastest growing in the natural food channel, according to IRI and SPINS data respectively, Amerifit said.

Probiotics are "friendly" bacteria that help restore the balance in the intestinal tract, thereby aiding normal digestion, supporting the immune system and promoting overall health. The bacteria strain in Culturelle, Lactobacillus GG, is the most proven and clinically researched probiotic strain in the world.

To date, more than 250 studies have been conducted on the Lactobacillus GG found in Culturelle, including double-blind, placebo-controlled trials. Lactobacillus GG has been researched for its effectiveness in managing a variety of conditions including antibiotic-associated diarrhea, traveler’s diarrhea, immune system support, Clostridium difficile and atopic eczema, among others.

“With respect to science, Culturelle’s Lactobacillus GG is the gold standard and stands up to the scientific scrutiny all of our brands must meet,” said Cyrill Siewert, the chief executive officer of Amerifit Nutrition. “Of all the brands in the rapidly expanding probiotic category, only Culturelle contains Lactobacillus GG, and the amount and quality of research offers our retail partners and their customers the best scientific proof of effectiveness. Just as important, Culturelle is already the sales leader in retail chain sales. This acquisition is consistent with Amerifit Nutrition’s commitment to aggressively building our portfolio of category-leading consumer health care brands.”

To ensure Culturelle’s ongoing success, Amerifit Nutrition plans to fully support and promote the product. This includes providing assistance to current studies with major universities and the National Institutes of Health and developing a probiotic Continuing Education program for pharmacists. In addition, Culturelle will be supported by an integrated medical and consumer advertising and marketing program.