HEALTH

PITTSBURGH — Health and wellness products retailer GNC is sponsoring a 12-week effort to encourage consumers to transform eating and exercise habits for long-term weight management, the company said.

GNC Holdings, the retailer's parent company, announced the Total Lean Challenge and Sweepstakes, which offers a chance for consumers to win $25,000 in cash prizes, as well as serving as an introduction to the company's Lifestyle Diet approach to weight loss and a way to promote products like the Lean Shake and Total Lean Watertex.

ABBOTT PARK, Ill. — Abbott on Monday introduced a new line of nutrition bars for active kids branded Kidz ZonePerfect. The new bars are formulated with 5 g of protein, 23 vitamins and minerals, and 3 g of fiber.

BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Sam's Club will offer free allergy and health screenings at all of its stores that operate pharmacies, the club retailer said.

The screenings will take place late Saturday morning and into the afternoon, and include up to $200 worth of tests, including allergy screenings for milk, eggs, pet dander, mold, dust mites, wheat, ragweed, mountain cedar, Bermuda grass and Timothy grass, as well as tests for blood pressure, body mass index and vision.

You might want to make a note of this. On paper. Despite all the hoopla surrounding electronically generated prescriptions, e-communications and digitized patient recordkeeping over the past decade, most doctors still prefer to write prescriptions the old fashioned way, by hand, scrawled on a prescription pad and handed to the patient.

CINCINNATI — Procter & Gamble’s Downy and ZzzQuil brands have joined forces to help consumers create an environment that is conducive for falling asleep in time for National Sleep Awareness Week March 3 to 10. 

According to a recent poll by the National Sleep Foundation, 1-in-4 adults report occasional sleeplessness with difficulty falling asleep at least a few times a week. 

IRVINE, Calif. — True Drinks, Inc., a healthy beverage provider, has launched a new marketing campaign behind its healthy kids' drinks in support of First Lady Michelle Obama's "Let's Move!" healthy food and exercise campaign to battle childhood obesity.

ANAHEIM, Calif. — Erba Vita on Monday announced its entry into the U.S. market with a line of supplements, including Propolis, a resinous material collected by honeybees from tree buds and other plant sources shown to benefit the immune system.

"Erba Vita has been helping Italians naturally live 'la dolce vita' for decades, and we are thrilled to finally bring this innovative line of products to American consumers," stated Angela Butler, director of Erba Vita USA. 

NEW YORK — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last week set the stage for the first quadrivalent influenza vaccine to be introduced in the 2013-2014 flu season, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal. 

Quadrivalent vaccines will contain two A strains and two B strains of flu. The triumvirate vaccines in use today contain two A strains and one B strain of flu.