P&G Bets Big on Wellness with $3.8B Thorne Acquisition

Cincinnati-based Procter & Gamble is making a major move into the wellness aisle with its planned acquisition of supplements maker Thorne for $3.8 billion.

The deal would give P&G, a household name in consumer goods, a premium vitamin brand alongside its lineup of over-the-counter health products and well-known brands like Vicks and Metamucil.

P&G's CEO Shailesh Jejurikar said the price was appropriate for Thorne's growth rate, which has seen the company on pace for roughly $650 million in sales this year.

The acquisition follows P&G's January addition of Wonderbelly, an Austin-based digestive-health brand, and suggests the company is looking beyond traditional drugstore staples to premium brands that can command higher prices online and through specialty retailers.