UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

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FORM 11-K

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[X] ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 15 (d) OF THE SECURITIES
EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2001

[ ] TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 15 (d) OF THE SECURITIES
EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the transition period from ________ to ________

Commission file number 01666

A. Full title of the plan and the address of the plan, if different from
that of the issuer named below:

NBTY, Inc. Employees' Stock Ownership Plan

B. Name of issuer of the securities held pursuant to the plan and the
address of its principal executive office:

NBTY, INC.
90 Orville Drive
Bohemia, NY 11716

NBTY, INC. EMPLOYEES' STOCK OWNERSHIP PLAN

YEARS ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2001 AND 2000

FINANCIAL STATEMENTS AND
INDEPENDENT AUDITORS' REPORT

NBTY, INC. EMPLOYEES' STOCK OWNERSHIP PLAN

YEARS ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2001 AND 2000

CONTENTS

Page
----

Independent Auditors' Report 1

Financial statements:

Statements of net assets available for benefits 2

Statements of changes in net assets available
for benefits 3

Notes to financial statements 4 - 9

Supplemental schedule:

Schedule of assets held for investment purposes
at end of year 10

Independent Auditors' Report
----------------------------

Trustee of NBTY, Inc. Employees' Stock Ownership Plan
Bohemia, New York

We have audited the accompanying statements of net assets available for
benefits of NBTY, Inc. Employees' Stock Ownership Plan (the "Plan") as of
December 31, 2001 and 2000, and the related statements of changes in net
assets available for benefits for the years then ended. These financial
statements are the responsibility of the Plan's management. Our
responsibility is to express an opinion on these financial statements based
on our audits.

We conducted our audits in accordance with auditing standards generally
accepted in the United States. Those standards require that we plan and
perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the
financial statements are free of material misstatement. An audit includes
examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures
in the financial statements. An audit also includes assessing the
accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as
well as evaluating the overall financial statement presentation. We
believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

In our opinion, the financial statements referred to above present fairly,
in all material respects, the net assets available for benefits of the Plan
as of December 31, 2001 and 2000, and the changes in net assets available
for benefits for the years then ended in conformity with accounting
principles generally accepted in the United States.

Our audits were performed for the purpose of forming an opinion on the
basic financial statements taken as a whole. The supplemental schedule of
assets held for investment purposes as of December 31, 2001 is presented
for the purpose of additional analysis and is not a required part of the
basic financial statements but is supplementary information required by the
Department of Labor's Rules and Regulations for Reporting and Disclosure
under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974. This
supplemental schedule is the responsibility of the Plan's management. The
supplemental schedule has been subjected to the auditing procedures applied
in the audits of the basic financial statements and, in our opinion, is
fairly stated in all material respects in relation to the basic financial
statements taken as a whole.

/s/ NUSSBAUM YATES & WOLPOW, P.C.

Melville, New York
June 11, 2002

NBTY, INC. EMPLOYEES' STOCK OWNERSHIP PLAN

STATEMENTS OF NET ASSETS AVAILABLE FOR BENEFITS

DECEMBER 31, 2001 AND 2000

2001 2000
---- ----

<s> <c> <c>
Assets:
Investment in NBTY, Inc. common
stock, at fair value $34,009,993 $14,549,744

Employer contribution receivable - 25,000

Cash and cash equivalents 22,636 6,129
----------- -----------

Net assets available for benefits $34,032,629 $14,580,873
=========== ===========

See notes to financial statements.

NBTY, INC. EMPLOYEES' STOCK OWNERSHIP PLAN

STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN NET ASSETS AVAILABLE FOR BENEFITS

YEARS ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2001 AND 2000

2001 2000
---- ----

<s> <c> <c>
Investment income:
Net appreciation (depreciation) in
fair value of investments $20,202,517 $(20,273,396)
Interest 1,241 1,492
Employer contributions 790,210 1,048,288
----------------------------

20,993,968 (19,223,616)
----------------------------

Distributions to participants 751,876 1,545,808
Transfer to affiliated plan pursuant to
diversification option 790,336 -
----------------------------

1,542,212 1,545,808
----------------------------

Net increase (decrease) 19,451,756 (20,769,424)

Net assets available for benefits:
Beginning of year 14,580,873 35,350,297
----------------------------

End of year $34,032,629 $ 14,580,873
============================

See notes to financial statements.

NBTY, INC. EMPLOYEES' STOCK OWNERSHIP PLAN

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

DECEMBER 31, 2001 AND 2000

1. Description of Plan
-------------------

The following description of the NBTY, Inc. Employees' Stock
Ownership Plan (the "Plan") provides only general information.
Participants should refer to the Plan agreement for a more complete
description of the Plan's provisions.

General

The Plan is an employee stock ownership plan covering substantially
all employees of NBTY, Inc. and its subsidiaries (the "Employer") who
are employed at calendar year end, have completed one year of service
(providing they worked at least 1,000 hours during such plan year)
and who have attained the age of twenty and one-half. The assets of
the plan are to be invested primarily in common stock of NBTY, Inc.
for the purpose of providing its eligible employees with the benefits
of ownership of common stock of NBTY, Inc. under the terms of the
Plan. The Plan is designed to comply with Section 4975(e)(7) and the
regulations thereunder of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as
amended (Code) and is subject to the applicable provisions of the
Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA). Assets of
the Plan are held by a trust established under the Plan. The
Employer shall have responsibility for the administration of the
Plan.

No distributions from the Plan will be made until a participant
retires, dies, or otherwise terminates employment with the Employer.
Distributions are made in the form of Company common shares plus cash
for any fractional share.

Employer Contributions

The Plan provides that the Board of Directors of the Employer, at its
sole discretion, shall determine the amount, if any, that the
Employer shall contribute either in cash or shares of the Employer's
common stock to the trust fund for each Plan year, not to exceed the
maximum amount allowed by the applicable provisions of the Internal
Revenue Code. Participants are neither required nor permitted to
make any contributions under the Plan.

NBTY, INC. EMPLOYEES' STOCK OWNERSHIP PLAN

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)

DECEMBER 31, 2001 AND 2000

1. Description of Plan (Continued)
-------------------------------

Participants' Accounts

Employer contributions are allocated to each participant's account in
the same proportion that each participant's considered compensation
bears to the total considered compensation of all participants for
such year. Any earnings or losses are allocated in the same
proportion that each participant's account bears to the total of all
such accounts as of the beginning of the Plan year. All shares of
NBTY, Inc. common stock are allocated to participants' accounts at
the end of the calendar year. In 2001 and 2000, forfeited nonvested
accounts of terminated participants totaled $175,719 and $36,022.
Forfeitures are allocated to participants in the same manner as
Employer Contributions.

Diversification

Diversification is offered to participants close to retirement so
that they may have the opportunity to move part of the value of their
investment in the Company stock into investments which are more
diversified. Participants who are at least age 55 with at least 10
years of participation in the Plan may elect to diversify a portion
of their account. Diversification is offered to each eligible
participant over a six-year period. In each of the first five years,
a participant may diversify up to 25 percent of the number of shares
allocated to his or her account, less any shares previously
diversified. In the sixth year, the percentage changes to 50
percent. An election under this option results in a transfer of the
applicable portion of the participant's account to the NBTY, Inc.
401(k) Savings Plan, which is also sponsored by the Employer.

Vested Benefits

If a participant's employment with the Employer is terminated at or
after the participant attains age 65, and completes five years of
service, or if the participant's employment is terminated at any age
because of disability (as defined in the Plan), the participant shall
be vested in and entitled to receive 100% of the entire amount then
in the participant's account. In the event that the termination of a
participant is caused by death, the beneficiary shall be vested in
and entitled to receive 100% of the entire amount then in the
participant's account. If a participant's employment with the
Employer is terminated before age 65, for any reason other than
disability or death, the participant shall be entitled to an amount
equal to a percentage of the balances then in the participant's
account, according to the following schedule:

NBTY, INC. EMPLOYEES' STOCK OWNERSHIP PLAN

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)

DECEMBER 31, 2001 AND 2000

1. Description of Plan (Continued)
-------------------------------

Vested Benefits (Continued)

Years of Service Percentage
---------------- ----------

Less than 5 0%
5 or more 100%

For every plan year, once the Plan is initially classified as top
heavy, vesting would be as follows:

Years of Service Percentage
---------------- ----------

Less than 2 0%
2 but less than 3 20%
3 but less than 4 40%
4 but less than 5 60%
5 but less than 6 80%
6 or more 100%

Payment of Benefits

Payments of stock or cash shall be in the form of a lump sum or in
installments over a period not exceeding 15 years, at the election of
the participant or beneficiary. Payments related to the
participant's Employer stock account will be made in Employer stock.
The participant's general investment account will be distributed in
the form of cash or Employer stock. Unless the participant elects
otherwise, the payments shall commence no later than one year after
the close of the Plan year in which the participant terminates
employment due to death, disability or retirement, and no later than
five years after the close of the plan year in which the participant
terminates employment for any other reason.

Put Option

Under Federal income tax regulations, the employer stock that is held
by the Plan and its participants and is not readily tradable on an
established market, or is subject to trading limitations, includes a
put option. The put option is a right to demand that the Company buy
any shares of its stock distributed to participants for which there
is no market. The put price is representative of the fair market
value of the stock. The Company can pay for the purchase with
interest over a period of five years. The purpose of the put option
is to ensure that the participant has the ability to ultimately
obtain cash. The put option was not applicable for the years ended
December 31, 2001 and 2000 since the stock was readily tradable on an
established market.

NBTY, INC. EMPLOYEES' STOCK OWNERSHIP PLAN

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)

DECEMBER 31, 2001 AND 2000

1. Description of Plan (Continued)
-------------------------------

Voting Rights

Each participant is entitled to exercise voting rights attributable
to the shares allocated to his or her account and is notified by the
Trustee prior to the time that such rights are to be exercised. The
Trustee is not permitted to vote any allocated share for which
instructions have not been given by a participant. The trustee is
required, however, to vote any unallocated shares on behalf of the
collective best interest of plan participants and beneficiaries.

2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
------------------------------------------

Basis of Accounting

The accompanying financial statements are prepared on the accrual
basis of accounting.

Investment Valuation

Investments of the Plan are stated at fair value. Securities traded
in public markets are valued at their quoted market prices.
Purchases and sales of securities are reflected on a trade-date
basis. Realized gains and losses from security transactions are
reported on the first-in, first-out method.

Payment of Benefits

Benefits are recorded when paid. The value of a participant's
benefit is determined as of the year-end immediately preceding the
date benefits are paid.

Benefits Payable to Terminated Participants

Benefits payable to all Plan participants (both active and
terminated) are included in "net assets available for benefits." The
amount payable to terminated participants is $1,242,455 and $219,057
at December 31, 2001 and 2000.

Use of Estimates

In preparing financial statements in conformity with generally
accepted accounting principles, management is required to make
estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets
and liabilities and changes therein, and disclosure of contingent
assets and liabilities. Actual results could differ from those
estimates.

NBTY, INC. EMPLOYEES' STOCK OWNERSHIP PLAN

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)

DECEMBER 31, 2001 AND 2000

2. Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Continued)
------------------------------------------------------

Cash and Cash Equivalents

The Plan considers all highly liquid debt instruments purchased with
a maturity of three months or less to be cash equivalents.

3. Investments
-----------

The following table presents the Plan's investment in NBTY, Inc.
common stock as determined by the last quoted trading price on
December 31, 2001 and 2000.

2001 2000
---------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------
Number of Fair Number of Fair
Shares Value Cost Shares Value Cost
--------- ----- ---- --------- ----- ----

<s> <c> <c> <c> <c> <c>
2,906,837 $34,009,993 $4,849,180 3,063,104 $14,549,744 $4,883,475
========= =========== ========== ========= =========== ==========

4. Related Party Transactions
--------------------------

During 2000, the Plan purchased in the open market a total of 140,000
shares for $1,023,288 of the Employer's common stock as part of its
investment portfolio. These transactions qualify as party-in-interest.

5. Administration of Plan Assets
-----------------------------

The Trustee, appointed by the Employer, has sole responsibility for
administration of the trust established under the Plan and for the
management of the assets of the Plan held under the trust. Certain
administrative functions are performed by officers or employees of
the Employer. No such officer or employee receives compensation from
the Plan. Administrative expenses of the Plan are paid directly by
the Employer.

NBTY, INC. EMPLOYEES' STOCK OWNERSHIP PLAN

NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)

DECEMBER 31, 2001 AND 2000

6. Plan Termination
----------------

Although the Employer has not expressed any intention to do so, it
has the right to discontinue its contributions and to terminate the
Plan at any time, subject to the provisions of the Plan and ERISA. In
the event of Plan termination, participants will become fully vested
in their respective account balances.

7. Tax Status
----------

The Internal Revenue Service has determined and informed the Company
by a letter dated April 19, 2000 that the Plan is qualified and the
trust established under the Plan is tax-exempt, under the appropriate
sections of the Code. Although the Plan has been amended since
receiving the determination letter, the Plan administrator and the
Plan's tax counsel believe that the Plan is designed and is currently
being operated in compliance with applicable requirements of the
Code.

NBTY, INC. EMPLOYEES' STOCK OWNERSHIP PLAN

SCHEDULE OF ASSETS HELD FOR INVESTMENT PURPOSES AT END OF YEAR

DECEMBER 31, 2001

ID#: 11-2228617
PN#: 001

(c)
(b) Description of Investment
Identity of Issue, Including Maturity Date, (e)
Borrower, Lessor, Rate of Interest, Collateral, (d) Current
(a) or Similar Party Par or Maturity Value Cost Value
- --- ------------------ ----------------------------- ---- -------

<s> <c>
* NBTY, Inc. 2,906,837 shares of $4,849,180 $34,009,993
common stock ========== ===========

<FN>
* Party-In-Interest to the Plan
</FN>

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the
trustees (or other persons who administer the employee benefit plan) have
duly caused this annual report to be signed on its behalf by the
undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

NBTY, INC. EMPLOYEES' STOCK OWNERSHIP PLAN

By: /s/ Harvey Kamil
-------------------------------------
Harvey Kamil

Date: June 27, 2002