HEALTH

BASEL, Switzerland — Following the recent voluntary suspension of operations and shipments from its Lincoln, Neb.-based facility, Novartis Consumer Health announced a voluntary recall of some of its over-the-counter products sold in the United States.

The company said it is voluntarily recalling all lots of select bottle packaging configurations from retailers of Excedrin and NoDoz products with expiration dates of Dec. 20, 2014 or earlier, in addition to Bufferin and Gas-X Prevention products with expiration dates of Dec. 20, 2013 or earlier.

CHADDS FORD, Pa. — Endo Pharmaceuticals announced a short-term supply constraint of analgesic products, including Opana ER, due to the temporary shutdown of a manufacturing facility operated by Novartis Consumer Health.

PITTSBURGH — Generic drug maker Mylan is challenging the patent on a drug used to treat diabetes, the company said Monday.

Mylan said that it was sued by Takeda Pharmaceutical, Watson Pharmaceuticals and Andrx Labs in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York in response to Mylan's filing a regulatory approval application with the Food and Drug Administration for a generic version of Actoplus Met XR (pioglitazone hydrochloride and metformin hydrochloride) extended-release tablets in the 15-mg/1,000-mg and 30-mg/1,000-mg strengths.

ALLEGAN, Mich. — Drug maker Perrigo is buying a privately owned distributor of diabetes products, the company said Monday.

Perrigo announced the $36 million acquisition of Alpharetta, Ga.-based CanAm Care, whose assets include Dex4 hypoglycemia products, insulin delivery syringes and pen needles, lancing, wound care and compression stockings.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The American Diabetes Association has announced its officers and board of directors for 2012.

This year's board includes:

• Board chairman L. Hunter Limbaugh, who serves as southeastern counsel of the Wine Institute in Columbia, S.C.;

• Healthcare and education president Geralyn Spollett, who is the associate director of the Yale Diabetes Center and adult nurse practitioner, endocrine at Yale University in New Haven, Conn.;

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Many patients that are at risk of Type 2 diabetes don't believe they require lifestyle counseling to help them curb their chance of developing the disease, according to new research published in the journal Diabetes Care.

WOONSOCKET, R.I. — A CVS Caremark study found that the company's integrated pharmacy-based program — Pharmacy Advisor — increased medication adherence rates and physician initiation of prescriptions for concomitant medications, improving care for diabetes patients and resulting in savings for health plans, the company announced on Monday.

NEW YORK — The Global Market Development Center earlier this week announced the association will be "flip-flopping" its two annual marketing conferences with the Health Beauty Wellness event moving to a spring time frame and General Merchandise event moving to a fall time frame, beginning in 2013.