The weight loss programme called Body Solutions, created by the US group Mark Nutritionals, will now be available in retail outlets throughout the US, the first time the product has been available in shops. Until now, Body Solutions could only be ordered by phone or via the Internet.
The brand will now be available in stores such as Albertson's, Eckerd, H-E-B, K-Mart, Long's, Save-On-Drugs, Walgreens and Wal-Mart, and the launch will focus initially on two-week and six-week value packs of the product.
Each pack contains the Body Solutions Evening Weight Loss Formula, nutritional supplement and a behaviour modification programme. Eventually, additional Body Solutions products will become available at retail, the company said.
Harry Siskind, president of Body Solutions, said the product was designed to help achieve slow, healthy weight loss by depleting body fat and developing lean, healthy muscle. It does not contain ephedrine or ma huang, and it is not a laxative or a diuretic.
Siskind added that the programme was backed by solid scientific evidence of its efficacy, and that the company had carried out a number of clinical trials of the product. These had shown that 84 per cent of participants using the Evening Weight Loss Formula experienced a net improvement in body composition or scale weight loss after the first 90.
"While most companies in this industry do little if any research, Body Solutions has spent more than a million dollars in scientific research on its products during the past five years," Siskind claimed.
"The high demand retailers have expressed for Body Solutions speaks to the success of the Body Solutions brand and high customer satisfaction. Many of our customers find it convenient to order by phone, or to order through our website, but many others will find it convenient to purchase their Body Solutions products at the store down the street while they're out doing their other shopping."
Eckerd was the first retail drug store chain to begin selling Body Solutions products, which will soon be available in the more than 3,000 Eckerd stores nationwide. When its retail launch is complete, Body Solutions will be available at thousands of retail locations nationwide.
"The retail programme was begun partly to eliminate brand confusion in the marketplace," Siskind said. "There have been so many knock-offs of our products - imitations with names that sound similar to ours - that we want consumers to know they're buying the real Body Solutions brand. In the retail store, they can see our starburst logo and know they're buying the real thing."