HEALTH

AKRON, Ohio — Gojo Industries on Wednesday announced the results of a series of independent lab studies testing the ability of instant hand sanitizers to meet Food and Drug Administration Healthcare Personnel Handwash germ kill requirements at various dosage levels. The studies, which included more than 20 different hand sanitizers, concluded that the patent-pending Purell Advanced Instant Hand Sanitizer formulation is the only one to meet FDA germ kill requirements with a single 1.2-mL dispense.

VICTORIA, Australia — Sales of Swisse Ultivite multivitamins in the Australian and Asian markets have been a big driver behind overall sales, according to a Nielsen report cited by the company. 

Across both Australia and Asia, VMS sales were up 16% to $197 million for the year ended June 2012. Leading the charge was Suisse Ultivite, which grew by more than 40% "thanks to a high ad spend and launches that boost the profile of the whole range,” Nielsen said. 

ISELIN, N.J. — Ansell Healthcare on Wednesday announced the launch of Zero and Zero Larger. Zero is the thinnest latex condom now offered in America, 45% thinner than Ansell's standard latex design, and Zero Larger is now the thinnest large condom in the market in the United States, the company stated. 

According to consumer focus groups, condom users are consistently searching for more sensitive and better-fitting designs, and are willing to try different brands and styles to discover the condoms that best suit their needs. 

CHICAGO — In a randomized trial that included nearly 15,000 male physicians and started in 1997, long-term daily multivitamin use resulted in a modest, but statistically significant, reduction in cancer after more than a decade of treatment and follow-up, according to a study appearing in JAMA that was released Wednesday. The multivitamin used in the study was Pfizer's Centrum Silver. 

LONDON — Vitamin D supplementation could be considered an immunomodulatory agent for systemic lupus erythematosus, an autoimmune disease characterized not only by skin, joint, neurological and renal symptoms, but also by inflammation of tissue linings in the body, according to a new clinical study published Tuesday in BioMedCentral's open access journal Arthritis Research and Therapy. 

An immunomodulatory agent has an effect on the immune system. 

ALLEGAN, Mich. — Perrigo has received tentative approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for its abbreviated new drug application to market over-the-counter omeprazole and sodium bicarbonate capsules in the 20-mg/1,100-mg strength, the store-brand equivalent to Merck's Zegerid OTC.

Zegerid OTC (omeprazole and sodium bicarbonate capsules 20 mg/1,100 mg), a proton-pump inhibitor indicated to relieve frequent heartburn, had sales of approximately $42 million through food, drug and mass merchandisers for the lastest 12 months.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — There’s good news for the upcoming holiday selling season. The National Retail Federation said September retail sales — excluding automobiles, gas stations and restaurants — increased 0.4%, seasonally adjusted from August and 2.1% unadjusted year-over-year.