HEALTH

NEW YORK — Pfizer on Monday announced that a wholly-owned Polish subsidiary of Pfizer has acquired the rights to Polocard, a low-dose aspirin (acidum acetylsalicylicum), and the leading over-the-counter brand for heart attack prevention in Poland, from ZF Polpharma SA.

I can hardly believe that I will once again have the distinct honor of facilitating a discussion with an impressive panel of industry leaders from both the retail and supplier side in this, my tenth appearance as moderator of Drug Store News’ Annual Diabetes Forum.

TORONTO — Canada’s Shoppers Drug Mart is expanding its Life Brand with the launch of Life Brand vitamins and supplements in store, and has introduced a new online tool, dubbed “Vitamin Finder,” to help Canadian’s find the products that best meet their health needs.

NEW YORK — The National Advertising Division has referred advertising claims made by Maxam Nutraceuticals for its PCA dietary supplement to the Federal Trade Commission for further review, after the company declined to participate in a review of its claims.

The Council for Responsible Nutrition challenged claims made by Maxam in television and Internet advertising, including:

ELK GROVE VILLAGE, Ill. — Treatment of influenza with such antiviral medicines as Tamiflu and Relenza may improve survival rates in children, according to a study published on Nov. 25 in Pediatrics. 

Researchers from the California Department of Public Health analyzed data abstracted from medical records to characterize the outcomes of pediatric patients hospitalized with the flu between April 3, 2009 and September 30, 2012. 

NEW YORK — Green Pharmaceuticals has drummed up some brand awareness for its SnoreStop stop-snoring solution with a controversial ad on Sunset Blvd. in Los Angeles, The Daily News reported last week. 

LONDON — Researchers at the University of Dundee and University College London on Wednesday found that taking the maximum daily dose of some medicines would exceed the recommended daily limits for sodium, without any additional dietary intake and potentially become an added risk factor for heart disease.

They say the public "should be warned about the potential dangers of high sodium intake from prescribed medicines" and that sodium-containing formulations "should be prescribed with caution only if the perceived benefits outweigh the risks."

NEW YORK — The Food and Drug Administration is reviewing emergency contraceptives like Plan B One-Step on whether they are less effective in women weighing more than 165 lbs., according to a report published Monday by Reuters.