There's at least one diet pill company that's thrilled about the FDA's April
12, 2004 ban on ephedra - it's Zoller Labs, distributor of Zantrex-3. The popular
pill in the distinctive bright blue bottle - once reportedly seen falling from
the bag of Britney Spears as she scurried through London's Heathrow Airport
(http://www.sltrib.com/2003/Nov/11082003/Utah/109278.asp)
- is now poised to virtually take over the entire diet pill
market.
Why? Because along with rapid weight loss,
Zantrex-3 is the only remaining diet pill capable of giving consumers the "kick"
they expect from a diet pill.
"Let's face it, people want more than weight loss from
a diet pill...they want an energy kick," explains
Gina Gay, spokesperson for Zoller Labs. "That's what made ephedra so popular.
The reason consumers won't miss ephedra and the reason Zantrex-3
is experiencing record-setting sales is because Zantrex is
the one and only diet pill that gives consumers the burst of sustained energy
they want and expect from a diet pill. You won't believe how many people reach
for their bottle of Zantrex-3 in the late afternoon to help
get them through the day."
First released in early 2003, well before the ban on ephedra was announced,
Zantrex-3 was breaking longstanding sales records,
as consumers switched to Zantrex-3 because they were getting a stronger kick
and more weight loss than they were with the leading ephedra product.
"We knew we had something special when a comparison of clinical trials
showed the active compound in Zantrex-3 produced 546% more weight loss than
the leading ephedra-based product (http://www.zantrex3.com/products/comparison.asp)
and had a kick dieters could definitely feel," says Ms. Gay. "Zantrex-3
gave people what they wanted...weight loss AND energy."
"Since concerns about ephedra's safety began to escalate, retailers and
consumers have been looking for more than an ephedra alternative, they have
been looking for an effective ephedra replacement," explains Don Atkinson,
VP of Sales for Zoller Labs. "Because Zantrex has both a weight
loss component and a powerful energy booster, Zantrex sales led
the industry even before the ephedra ban was announced. Now that the ephedra
ban is in place we've had to ramp up production, increase our sales force, and
put in a lot of overtime just to keep up with demand."
The best place to find Zantrex-3 is at GNC retailers (they
always try to keep it in stock). Zantrex-3 is also currently
featured on the shelves of CVS, Wal-Mart, Rite-Aid, Walgreen's, Vitamin Shoppe
and select independent supplement retailers.
