By: Joshua Waldrop
GNC, short for General Nutrition Centers, one of the nation’s leading health and wellness nutritional supplement chain has introduced CBD-infused products in select retail locations and online in 23 states and the District of Columbia, according to a NASDAQ report from the Global News Wire.
GNC is known for its broad assortment of nutritional supplements featuring private-label products as well as national recognized third-party brands, many of which are exclusive to GNC. The announcement comes on the heels of industry competitor the Vitamin Shoppe’s announcement made last week that it too would carry CBD-infused items.
“As the market changes, GNC is committed to offering high-quality, innovative products that are being introduced in new categories like CBD,” said Ken Martindale, chairman and CEO of GNC. “We are excited to work with both companies to evolve our product mix and look forward to offering more CBD-infused beauty and skincare products in the future.”
According to a report by Seeking Alpha, GNC says it expects to attract the growing customer base looking for innovative offerings in the CBD market through the introduction of 12 exclusive CBD products, including face creams, luxe body lotion, scalp treatment and revitalizing shampoo produced by Physician’s Grade, an innovative health and wellness company, and Myaderm, a manufacturer of advanced cannabinoid products.
Physician’s Grade products include the company’s face creams, luxe body lotion, scalp treatment and revitalizing shampoo. Myaderm’s offerings include their four popular topical creams, which are the CBD Body Cream, available in two sizes, the Double Strength CBD Body Cream and the CBD Sport Cream. Myaderm produces pharmacist-formulated transdermal Cannabidiol (CBD) creams and topical CBD products for skin care all of which are manufactured in an FDA-registered facility.
While the U.S. Farm Bill, signed into law at the end of last year, legalized CBD for most uses, the cannabidiol remains outlawed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for use as a dietary supplement in food and beverages due to a technicality that states that substances already approved for use in pharmaceuticals cannot then be approved for general consumption. Prior to the proliferation of CBD as a popular and trendy additive, the cannabinoid had been approved as the main active ingredient in the Epidiolex, a drug prescribed for the treatment of seizures.
Last year, the agency recommended rescheduling of CBD to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency stating that the FDA had found that CBD “doesn’t meet criteria for federal control.” Departing FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb has since pledged the administration’s diligence in reevaluating their stance on CBD in light of evolving studies and loosening state and global regulations.
“We recognize the potential opportunities that cannabis or cannabis-derived compounds could offer,” said Commissioner Gottlieb. “We’re committed to pursuing an efficient regulatory framework for allowing product developers…to market these types of products.”
The FDA will hold an open forum in May to hear arguments and testimonies from industry leaders in an effort to reevaluate and reshape their regulations toward CBD.
In the hours following the announcement shares of GNC stocks rose more than 11%.
