HEALTH

SAN FRANCISCO — A large European study released Tuesday found that daily aspirin use is linked to an increased risk of age-related macular degeneration, a disease that can damage the central vision that is essential for reading and driving. The study was published in the January issue of Ophthalmology, the journal of the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

SALT LAKE CITY — According to a survey released by Identigene last week, more than half of adults with paternity questions have resolved to address their question in 2012. Men with paternity questions are twice as likely (51%) than women (25%) to address paternity in 2012.

Overall, as many as 11% of adults have reported they have personally been in a situation where a paternity test was appropriate; and nearly 1-in-5 (18%) said that they or a close friend or family member have questioned paternity.

CAMP HILL, Pa. — Americans make hundreds of millions of New Year's resolutions every year, following some to the letter and ignoring others. Health-related resolutions are among the most common, giving pharmacy retailers a way to pitch in and help.

ALLEGAN, Mich. — Perrigo last week announced that it has received final Food and Drug Administration approval for its generic prescription allergy remedy desloratadine 5 mg, the generic equivalent to Schering-Plough's Clarinex.

Under the terms of a patent-infringement suit settlement, Perrigo can commercially launch its generic desloratadine product July 1. The new product launch may be a prescription or over-the-counter product, depending on its status at the time of launch, Perrigo stated.

DELRAY BEACH, Fla. — In an effort to continue developing and studying its diabetes management products, PositiveID has teamed up with the Diabetes Research Institute at the University of Miami and Schneider Children's Medical Center of Israel.

DANVILLE, Pa. — Geisinger Health System may be the largest employer to discriminate against a declining minority — smokers — beginning Feb. 1.

Geisinger last week announced it will no longer hire job applicants who use tobacco products, including cigarettes, cigars and chewing or smokeless tobacco.

NEW YORK — Duane Reade continues to raise the bar and reshape how consumers shop consumables at drug stores with its revamped 24-hour location at 52nd Street and Broadway in New York.


To better reflect the needs of the neighborhood, which is brimming largely with tourists and business travelers, Duane Reade transformed the former 3,100-sq.-ft. Duane Reade Express store into a 20,000-sq.-ft. health, beauty and daily living destination.


Diet aids and meal replacement products aren’t the only categories subject to the whims of a supply-chain-busting weight-loss/dieting fad. The American College of Sports Medicine revealed the top trends in fitness and wellness for 2012 in its November/December issue of Health & Fitness Journal.


So relative to pharmacy retailing, following are some of the top fitness trends: