Probi and Perrigo to jointly launch digestive and immune health probiotics in Europe

18 Feb 2021 --- Probiotics company Probi and over-the-counter health and wellness player Perrigo have signed a semi-exclusive agreement to bring premium probiotic digestive and immune health concepts to 14 European countries.

The first launches will begin in March in Spain and Belgium, and in Italy from May this year. 

“Probi and Perrigo look to leverage their combined strengths for an even more successful launch within the rapidly growing supplement category of probiotics,” Shane Judge, vice president of marketing and sales at Probi, tells NutritionInsight.

“Now even more global consumers will be able to access Probi’s high-quality probiotics in line with its mission to provide probiotics for healthier lives all over the world.”

Expanding the self-care portfolio
Perrigo will launch three probiotic products as dietary supplements based on Probi’s scientific-backed probiotic strains under the agreement. 

• Probify Digestive Support, which supports digestive function and helps to restore gut flora.
• Probify Daily Balance, which supports the immune system, gut flora and everyday wellness.
• Probify Travel Protect, which supports gut flora on-the-go while traveling.

The Probify products covered in the agreement are supported by state-of-the-art clinical studies, showing the clinical benefits in digestive and immune health for the consumer. 

Probi maintains its strains have been described in more than 100 publications since their discovery in the 1980s.They will be introduced under a new premier brand to complement and expand Perrigo’s strong self-care portfolio. 

Furthermore, the European expansion is set to strengthen the Probi brand on a global scale, says Probi CEO Tom Rönnlund. The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. 

Continuous growth
Probi highlights that probiotics are a “high-growth segment” where innovation and scientific support are key differentiators. 

The trend for probiotic ingredients in supplements and food applications has been gaining steady momentum over the past decade, as Innova Market Insights reports. 

Data from the market researcher reveals over one-third of global F&B launches with probiotics and prebiotics tracked in 2019 were dairy products. However, innovation is expanding to more categories, such as snacks, confectionery and dairy alternatives. 

Previous moves for Probi
Probi has spent the past year investing in probiotics via various avenues. Last August, the company issued clinical results demonstrating newfound potential stress-alleviation properties of its probiotic strain L. Plantarum, HEAL9.

Amid the pandemic’s initial outbreak, Probi predicted the global probiotics market was pegged for growth running parallel with consumer interest in immunity-boosting products.

Last July, the probiotics player’s Q2 financial report revealed that the overall effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on its business operations was “neutral.”  

With this financial forecast, Probi shared at the time it plans to double its annual sales within five to seven years.

By Anni Schleicher