Acquisition roundup.

Three publicly traded health-focused companies have snapped up competitors this month to grow market share or fill a niche in their product offerings.

Chatsworth-based nutritional supplement maker Natrol Inc. has acquired the Nu Hair and Shen Min natural hair growth lines for an undisclosed sum from Bioteeh Corp. in Connecticut. The strategic acquisition enables Natrol to offer products both in mass market and health food store channels.

Los Angeles-based nutritional supplement maker Health Sciences Group Inc., which markets the zero-calorie sugar substitute Shugr, has signed a non-binding letter of intent to acquire Kalahari Limited, a specialty tea and food company that is a leading provider of Rooibos red tea products.

The acquisition, expected to close Nov. 30, would be the first under the leadership of new Chief Executive Stuart Gold, who helped popularize the specialty tea business when he was an executive at Republic of Tea. The value of the deal, which will be paid for in Health Sciences stock, was not disclosed. Health Science shares are trading at around 7 cents on the Over-the-Counter Bulletin Board.

Cord Blood America Inc. said it has acquired Philadelphia-based competitor CorCell Inc. in a deal that likely will make the Los Angeles-based umbilical cord blood stem cell preservation company the fourth largest of its type in the country. It's part of a national growth strategy to grow the company via accretive acquisitions, according to Chief Executive Matthew Schissler, noting that 26 such U.S. companies, many of them regional, are involved in banking.

Cord blood stem cell banks enable families to have umbilical cord blood of newborns stored for potential future use in treating ailments such as cancer, leukemia, blood, and immune disorders. Critics of the industry say that companies build false hopes among families because the technology is unproven.