Cough-Cold and Flu

MERIDEN, Conn. - Protein Sciences announced Thursday that FDA has extended the shelf life for Flublok, its seasonal influenza vaccine, to nine months from the date of manufacture. That increases the previous shelf life by three months.  The longer shelf life will make it easier for healthcare providers and pharmacies to stock Flublok and vaccinate people throughout the influenza season, which in some years can last as long as April or May.

ATLANTA - WellCare of Georgia, a subsidiary of WellCare Health Plans, enhanced its Medicaid benefits Thursday by adding new incentives to its healthy rewards program and increasing its over-the-counter and vision program benefits.

WAUKESHA, Wis. – Hamacher Resource Group will conduct a continuing education session titled“Becoming a Community Wellness Destination” at the McKesson ideaShare 2016 conference next week, the company announced Thursday.

ATLANTA - The Center for Disease Control and Prevention's  Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices on Wednesday voted that live attenuated influenza vaccine, also known as the “nasal spray” flu vaccine, should not be used during the 2016-2017 flu season.

ACIP continues to recommend annual flu vaccination, with either the inactivated influenza vaccine or recombinant influenza vaccine, for everyone 6 months and older.

BOSTON – BV Investment Partners on Thursday announced the sale of ECRM, an integrated services, software and data provider serving consumer product manufacturers and retailers, to Snow Phipps Group.

Financial terms were not disclosed.

PHILADELPHIA - The availability of influenza vaccinations at the neighborhood pharmacy has boosted vaccination rates among millennials, according to research recently published in the American Journal of Public Health.

The authors found that increased adoption rates followed states allowing pharmacists to administer the vaccine.

WASHINGTON— The Consumer Healthcare Products Association on Monday commended Delaware Gov. Jack Markell for signing into law a bill prohibiting the sale of OTC medicines containing the cough suppressant dextromethorphan to minors.

Delaware becomes the 12th state to pass a law addressing the issue of cough medicine abuse among teens, CHPA noted.

WASHINGTON — The Consumer Healthcare Products Association on Thursday elected Jeff Needham as chairman of the CHPA Board of Directors at its June meeting. Needham serves as EVP and general manager of U.S. Consumer Healthcare for Perrigo Company, the nation’s largest manufacturer of over-the-counter private label products for the store brand market.

Needham succeeds Patrick Lockwood-Taylor, who was previously VP of Personal Health Care North America and Global Digestive Wellness at Proctor & Gamble.