C. Vivek Lal, MD, FAAP, founder and CEO of Resbiotic, said this aligns with GNC’s commitment to quality and trust.
"We had approached GNC to see their interest," Dr. Lal told NutraIngredients-USA at the Probiota Americas conference in Salt Lake City this week. "They were very excited with the science-backed approach we were bringing as a company."
GNC will carry resB Lung Support, which ResBiotic said is the world’s first probiotic formulated for lung health. Prior to this partnership, GNC did not have a respiratory probiotic to offer consumers. Additionally, GNC customers can purchase ResBiotic’s prebeet Energy + Prebiotic for gut and metabolic health. Along with reducing bloating and curbing cravings, the beet-based supplement supports GLP-1 naturally and increases energy.
"We’re thrilled to welcome ResBiotic to GNC shelves and that our customers can now access the award-winning, clinically tested, pulmonologist-formulated lung probiotic and novcel GLP-1 prebiotic," Mark Butera, vice president of merchandising at GNC, DMM, said in a statement. "Res is a perfect fit for GNC as we continue to provide the best wellness solutions for our customers’ needs."
For Dr. Lal, GNC’s nationwide reach was not the only thing attractive about the partnership.
"GNC has a store-wide education aspect to it," he said. "We want to educate our consumers, not just sell."
The COVID factor
Dr. Lal’s clinical training was as an intensive care unit physician and a National Institutes of Health-funded microbiome scientist. He stresses the importance of science-backed, clinically tested products.
In 2023, Dr. Lal told NutraIngredients-USA that ResBiotic’s journey began 10 years ago while observing the role the microbiome plays in various health and disease states.
"We started sequencing both normal patients and patients with various illnesses to study their systems biology… We realized that the microbiome was playing a major role in host homeostasis," he said.
From there, the company created its first product, resB Lung Support.
"The lungs have always been one of the vital organs of the body," Dr. Lal said. "COVID has sparked interest in respiratory health through mainstream media, with people realizing how important it is to take care of their lungs—so much so that the lung health market has grown by 43% since the pandemic."
Future expansion
GNC may be ResBiotic’s first foray into brick-and-mortar retail, but the company also sells its products on e-commerce platforms such as Amazon and Walmart Marketplace, as well as ResBiotic’s website.
ResBiotic will exclusively sell resB Lung Support and prebeet Energy + Prebiotic at GNC stores for several months before expanding to other big box retailers, Dr. Lal said.
He added that ResBiotic has a couple of novel products and patents in the pipeline and that the company is in the process of a Series A funding raise.
"That will stimulate a lot of these new product launches," Dr. Lal said. "We want to get into the metabolic health space. We want to get into the pediatric space. Those are the big two."