HEALTH

NORWELL, Mass. — Carex Health Brands recently launched four new products — the Carex Mobilator, the Carex Self Standing Cane Tip, the Carex E-Z Bath & Shower Seat and the Bathroom Safety Rail — across its portfolio of durable medical equipment and life assistance offerings.

ADISON, N.J. — Pfizer Consumer Healthcare on Thursday unveiled a Jon Bon Jovi testimonial as its latest commercial that's part of its "Advil Stories" campaign.

WHAT IT MEANS AND WHY IT'S IMPORTANT — For those who doubt that consumers and their smartphones are inseparable when it comes to shopping, think again. Mobile advertising company Verve Wireless conducted research and found that more than half of consumers are using their smartphones when shopping. The timing of the news is especially critical given the holiday shopping season is upon us and, clearly, holiday 2011 is shaping up to be the “tipping point” for mobile commerce.

BOCA RATON, Fla. — Long-time industry veteran Jonathan Stern, 69, passed last month at his home in Boca Raton, Fla., after a one-year battle with pancreatic cancer. Services were held Nov. 13 at Riverside Memorial Chapel in New York.
 
Stern was credited with building the Keystone Organization into a leading health and beauty sales agency, which merged into Crossmark in 2000. Stern retired two years after the Keystone/Crossmark merger but came out of retirement to serve as an honorary chairman for the Greenwood Group in 2004.
 

ARLINGTON, Va. — The Healthcare Distribution Management Association on Tuesday honored Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan., with its Rx Safety and Healthcare Leadership Award. The award recognizes public officials for their leadership and commitment to public policies that support and promote the safe and efficient delivery of medicines.

INDIANAPOLIS — A drug currently under clinical development for Type 2 diabetes produced "meaningful" reductions in blood sugar, according to results of a late-stage clinical study.

Eli Lilly & Co. and Boehringer Ingelheim announced results of a 24-week, open-label arm of a phase-3 study of the investigational drug linagliptin combined with the generic drug metformin, presenting results at the International Diabetes Federation World Diabetes Conference in Dubai.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — A combination of two insulins made by Novo Nordisk reduced abnormally low blood sugar in diabetes patients, according to study results presented at a medical conference.

WASHINGTON — A group of medical associations on Wednesday denounced the government's decision to maintain the status quo with regard to the prescription status of the emergency contraceptive Plan B.