California-based Metagenics' distribution channel deals with doctors, pharmacists as well as consumers.
The deal will likely give LactiumPure more exposure for use in supplements in turn recommended by physicians.
Derived from a cow's milk protein, LectiumPure has been shown to have relaxing properties.
Stress management has been said to be a potential area of growth for nutraceutical ingredients, and new ingredients supporting it could result in further marketing opportunities.
Developed by French company Ingredia, Lactium is a hydrolysate of milk proteins that Pharmachem says contains a bioactive deca-peptide, which is said to relax.
It is typically made with intact casein, however researchers from Metagenics paired up with Ingredia to fine tune LactiumPure without the intact casein.
While Pharmachem Laboratories recently became the exclusive distributor of Lactium for the United States, Mexico, and Canada, Metagenics will be the exclusive distributor of nutraceutical formulas containing LactiumPure in North America, Australia, and New Zealand.
"Metagenics' acceptance of LactiumPURE into their family of supplements further validates Lactium's safety and efficacy," said Mitch Skop, director of new product development for Pharmachem.
"And, with Metagenics' expertise in the professional distribution channel, we can now directly reach doctors, pharmacists, and healthcare consumers with the advantages of LactiumPure for supporting relaxation and a healthy stress response."
Classified as GRAS, Lactium has been the subject of several clinical studies showing it to be safe with no side effects.
In addition, research has supported its efficacy at regulating the major symptoms of stress on the digestive and cardiovascular systems.
A double-blind clinical study on 42 human subjects, published in the 2004 European Journal of Nutrition, evaluated the anti-stress effects of Lactium based on hemodynamic parameters such as blood pressure and heart rate, as well as plasma cortisol concentration.
The study found that Lactium significantly reduced the blood pressure and blood cortisol responses to stress.