Diabetes

WOONSOCKET, R.I. — MinuteClinic has announced that this spring it is offering a free monitoring visit for patients with diabetes to help keep their health in check between visits to a primary care provider.

The complimentary monitoring service, which is available seven days a week, is administered by a MinuteClinic nurse practitioner or physician assistant and includes:

• Hemoglobin A1C and blood-glucose test (as needed);

• Blood pressure check;

• Body mass index (BMI);

MINNETONKA, Minn. — A Supervalu banner announced that it will offer patients access to a program created by UnitedHealth Group's Diabetes Prevention and Control Alliance.

PHOENIX — Arizona has become one of the first state governments in the nation to join a program created by UnitedHealth Group's Diabetes Prevention and Control Alliance.

The state of Arizona joins more than 25 other Arizona employers who have enrolled in the DPCA's Not Me program — an employer- and community-based initiative aimed at tipping the scales against the epidemic of diabetes, prediabetes and obesity — since its launch in 2010.

PRINCETON, N.J. — The Food and Drug Administration has approved a change to the label of a Novo Nordisk drug stating that it offers superior blood-sugar control to a competing drug made by Merck, based on results of two clinical studies, Novo Nordisk said Monday.

INDIANAPOLIS — Lilly Diabetes has donated funds to the Diabetes Scholars Foundation, the drug maker announced Wednesday.

Lilly Diabetes said the $100,000 contribution will be donated to the foundation's scholarship fund, which supports the organization's mission to empower young people with Type 1 diabetes. The donation will be used to fund college scholarships for students with Type 1 diabetes, as well as conference scholarships for families to attend the 2012 Children with Diabetes Friends for Life conference in Orlando, Fla.

WOONSOCKET, R.I. — CVS/pharmacy officially announced on Wednesday the April schedule of Project Health (Proyecto Salud in Spanish), a wellness program delivering more than $21 million worth of free health screenings to multicultural communities throughout 2012.

As part of National Minority Health Month, CVS/pharmacy will offer free health screenings at select stores in African-American and Latino communities in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C.

PARSIPPANY, N.J. — People ages 65 years and older reduced their volume of prescriptions, while those ages 19 to 25 years increased their use of prescription drugs as the healthcare-reform law allowed them to remain on their parents' insurance, according to a new report by IMS Health.

The report, "The Use of Medicines in the United States: Review of 2011," found that per capita spending on U.S. medicines grew by 0.5% as healthcare system spending reached $320 billion and new drug launches opened new treatment options for more than 20 million Americans.

INDIANAPOLIS — Marsh Supermarkets on Tuesday recognized National Public Health Week with the introduction of a program to help people with diabetes better understand, manage and live with the disease — more than 9% of Indiana residents have been diagnosed with diabetes, the grocer noted.