GLEN ALLEN, Va., May 23, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Rock Creek
Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a subsidiary of Star Scientific, Inc.
(NASDAQ: CIGX), announced today that it has completed its retail
distribution of Anatabloc® at GNC, a leading global specialty
retailer of health and wellness products. As of this week,
Anatabloc® is now available at all of GNC's corporate stores, which
includes approximately 2,922 locations in all fifty states, as well
as the District of Columbia and
Puerto Rico. The product is also
available at GNC.com and anatabloc.com.
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Anatabloc® was first offered to GNC customers on February 1, 2012, when the retailer began selling
the product through GNC.com and on April
1 in select stores. After sales of Anatabloc® showed
impressive growth in-store, GNC decided to expand distribution to
all of its US-owned retail locations, completing the expansion this
week.
Thomas Dowd, Executive Vice
President, Chief Merchandising Officer & General Manager of
GNC, commented, "Sales of Anatabloc®, both online and in our
stores, have surpassed our expectations. In just over three
months, Anatabloc® has become one of our fastest growing products,
and by making Anatabloc® available in all of our corporate stores,
we are taking steps to ensure that our customers have easy access
to one of the products most highly in demand."
In support of the expansion, GNC on June
1, 2012 will begin using an advertisement poster of
professional golfer and Anatabloc® Brand Ambassador, Fred Couples, prominently displayed on the front
window of every GNC corporate store. Couples is a 32-year
veteran of the PGA Tour, with over 50 professional tournament wins,
including the Masters (1992). In addition, he has been twice
named the PGA Tour Player of the Year (1991, 1992). The
advertising campaign featuring Couples is expected to last two
months.
David M. Dean, Vice President of
Sales and Marketing for Star Scientific, Inc., stated, "GNC
continues to be a valuable partner for Anatabloc® because of its
reputation in the area of nutritional supplementation and its loyal
customer base. We are very much looking forward to an ongoing
relationship with GNC as we continue to expand the marketing and
distribution of Anatabloc®."
Paul L. Perito, CEO and Chairman
of Rock Creek Pharmaceuticals, Inc., further commented, "The recent
notice of allowance for claims relating to the synthesis of
anatabine ensures that we will be able to make available to GNC a
product whose main ingredient has the benefit of being produced
utilizing a process that will be covered by our patent."
Currently, more than half of GNC's 928 franchise stores have
Anatabloc® on their shelves for in-store purchasing, and all
franchise locations can order Anatabloc® for interested
customers.
Certain statements contained in this release constitute
forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private
Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements include,
but are not limited to statements identified by words such as
"believes," "expects," "anticipates," "estimates," "intends,"
"plans," "targets," "projects" and similar expressions. The
statements in this release are based upon the current beliefs and
expectations of our company's management and are subject to
significant risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ from
those set forth in the forward-looking statements. Numerous factors
could cause or contribute to such differences, including, but not
limited to, results of clinical trials, the challenges inherent in
new product development initiatives, including the continued
development and market acceptance of our nutraceutical and low-TSNA
tobacco products, our ability to license and protect our
intellectual property, our ability to raise additional capital in
the future that is necessary to maintain our business, changes in
government policy and/or regulation, including with respect to our
nutraceutical and low-TSNA tobacco products, as well as other risks
discussed from time to time in our filings with the Securities and
Exchange Commission, including, without limitation, our annual
report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2011. We undertake no duty to update
any forward-looking statement or any information contained in this
press release or in other public disclosures at any time.
About Star Scientific
Star Scientific, Inc. is a technology-oriented company with a
mission to promote maintenance of a healthy metabolism, as well as
to reduce the harm associated with the use of tobacco at every
level. Over the last several years, through its wholly owned
subsidiary, Rock Creek Pharmaceuticals, Star Scientific has been
engaged in the manufacturing, sale, and marketing of two
nutraceutical dietary supplements, and the development of other
nutraceuticals and pharmaceuticals. The company also has continued
to pursue the development, implementation, and licensing of the
technology behind its proprietary StarCured® tobacco curing
process, which substantially prevents the formation of carcinogenic
toxins present in tobacco and tobacco smoke, primarily the
tobacco-specific nitrosamines, or TSNAs and related low-TSNA
dissolvable tobacco products. Rock Creek Pharmaceuticals has
scientific and research offices in Gloucester, MA, and a regulatory office in
Washington, DC. Star Scientific
has a Corporate and Sales Office in Glen
Allen, VA, an Executive, Scientific & Regulatory Affairs
office in Bethesda, MD, and a
manufacturing facility in Chase City,
VA.
Web: anatabloc.com l Facebook:
www.facebook.com/Anatabloc
About GNC
GNC Holdings, Inc., headquartered in Pittsburgh, PA, is a leading global specialty
retailer of health and wellness products, including vitamins,
minerals, and herbal supplement products, sports nutrition products
and diet products, and trades on the New York Stock Exchange
under the symbol "GNC."
As of March 31, 2012, GNC has more
than 7,700 locations, of which more than 5,900 retail locations are
in the United States (including
928 franchise and 2,146 Rite Aid franchise store-within-a-store
locations) and franchise operations in 56 countries
(including distribution centers where retail sales are
made). The Company – which is dedicated to helping consumers
Live Well – has a diversified, multi-channel business model and
derives revenue from product sales through company-owned retail
stores, domestic and international franchise activities, third
party contract manufacturing, e-commerce and corporate
partnerships. Its broad and deep product mix, which is
focused on high-margin, premium, value-added nutritional products,
is sold under GNC proprietary brands, including Mega Men®, Ultra
Mega®, GNC Total Lean, Pro Performance® and Pro Performance® AMP,
and under nationally recognized third party brands.
For more than 75 years, GNC has been committed to bringing
people superior GNC brand products using only the highest quality
ingredients, manufactured under the strictest quality controls.
Managing every stage of the process - from formulation to retailing
- allows GNC to guarantee quality, purity and potency of GNC
products.
Web: GNC.com l Twitter: @GNCLiveWell l Facebook:
facebook.com/GNCLiveWell
Contact:
Talhia T. Tuck
Vice President, Communications and Investor Relations
Star Scientific, Inc.
(301) 654-8300
ttuck@starscientific.com
SOURCE Star Scientific, Inc.