Tru Niagen expands international footprint with expansion to Canada

The supplement contains ChromaDex’s flagship ingredient, Niagen, a form of vitamin B3 called nicotinamide riboside chloride (or NR).

Studies on the ingredient suggest that NR boosts the levels of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD), a coenzyme found in all living cells, in human tissue. A decline in NAD has been linked to senescence of cells.

WATCH: Nicotinamide riboside: What makes it an ‘anti-aging’ ingredient?​​​

“As we build TRU NIAGEN into a global brand, we are pleased to extend our footprint to Canada,”​ says ChromaDex CEO Rob Fried. “We look forward to bringing TRU NIAGEN to the health-conscious people of Canada and other countries around the world.”​

Dietary supplements sold in Canada, where they are called Natural Health Products, must first be registered by its health authority and receive a Natural Product Number before they can be sold to the public.

Within Health Canada’s database​​, the recommended uses or purposes for Tru Niagen include ‘Helps in energy metabolism and tissue formation,’ ‘Helps maintain the body's ability to metabolize nutrients,’ ‘Helps to prevent Vitamin B3 deficiency,’ ‘Source of vitamin B3 which maintains blood NAD+ levels, to support cellular health,’ and more.

For its foray into Canada, the company is distributing online directly to consumers via its new Canadian website TruNiagen.ca and to healthcare practitioners through online dispensary Fullscript Canada.

Fran Towey, Natural Partners Fullscript CEO said: “Cellular health is a critical component to overall health—we are pleased to make TRU NIAGEN available to our network of healthcare practitioners in Canada.”​

In addition to Canada, ChromDex has been looking at Asian countries to expand its distribution footprint. In 2017, it partnered with Hong Kong-based drug retailer AS Watson​​. Since then, the product’s sale has expanded to more than 340 Watsons-owned stores in Hong Kong, Macau, and Singapore.

In August this year, it announced its plan to launch in Watsons Turkey​​ before the end of 2018.