HEALTH

SAN DIEGO — Higher levels of melatonin, a hormone involved in the sleep-wake cycle, may decrease the risk of developing advanced prostate cancer, according to results presented here at the AACR-Prostate Cancer Foundation Conference on Advances in Prostate Cancer Research, held Jan. 18-21.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The National Community Pharmacists Association on Thursday expressed its support behind the Diabetic Testing Supply Access Act (S. 1935). 

The legislation would allow independent community pharmacies to provide same-day delivery of diabetes testing supplies to Medicare beneficiaries and was introduced by Senss Jerry Moran, R-Kan., and John Thune, R-S.D. 

Since July 1, 2013 community pharmacies have been banned from delivering DTS to beneficiaries, including those who are homebound or in long-term care or assisted living facilities. 

WASHINGTON — A survey released by the National Consumers League found that more than 1-in-5 (22%) U.S. parents surveyed admitted they’ve never received a flu shot, and only half (53%) of parents with children ages 17 years and younger have received a flu vaccination within the last year. 

WASHINGTON — Approximately 5.6 million American children alive today — or 1-of-13 children younger than 18 years — will die prematurely from smoking-related diseases unless current smoking rates drop, according to a new Surgeon General’s report released Friday.

WASHINGTON — The Consumer Healthcare Products Association on Thursday responded to the Food and Drug Administration’s recommendation to discontinue prescribing and dispensing prescription combination medicines that contain more than 325 mg of acetaminophen per dosage unit, suggesting it would not impact use of over-the-counter formulations containing acetaminophen.

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. — Google is testing a smart contact lens that’s built to measure glucose levels in tears using a tiny wireless chip and miniaturized glucose sensor that are embedded between two layers of soft contact lens material, according to a blog outlining the project posted Thursday. 

OAKLAND, Calif. — Supplement manufacturer SuperNutrition on Friday announced the beginning of its new contest via its Facebook page. Contestants who click the "like" button on SuperNutrition's Facebook page are asked to leave a comment on how they plan to stick to their New Year's resolution. 

WASHINGTON — The Council for Responsible Nutrition on Thursday created an infographic that depicts the dietary supplement consumer based on the association's annual survey.

CRN’s mission behind this infographic was to provide an easily accessible – and easy to understand – resource with key data from the 2013 CRN Consumer Survey on Dietary Supplements, CRN stated.