HEALTH

DOYLESTOWN, Pa. — ProPhase Labs on Monday partnered with Give2TheTroops to aid in the combat against the common cold this holiday season. Men and women serving in the Persian Gulf, Afghanistan, Kosovo and other combat and disaster-relief zones are set to receive Cold-Eeze products in personalized care packages.

CAMP HILL, Pa. — Rite Aid is offering two promotional programs to holiday shoppers, the company said Monday.

The first of these is Cyber Week, launched to mark Cyber Monday, an online shopping holiday that is one of the busiest of the year. The chain is offering limited-time deals on items commonly purchased online, such as beauty and personal care items, personalized photo calendars and vitamins, as well as 20% off when customers spend $50 or more. Customers can sign up at RiteAidOnlineStore.com.

RIVERSIDE, Calif. — Active Health Foods has nominated nutritionist Shanais Pelka to its board of directors, the company said last week.

Pelka, the company said, was "instrumental" in developing the company's unique and proprietary formulas for its Active X energy bars. She holds a Masters of Science degree in nutrition, a Master of Arts degree in education, as well as being a certified nutritional consultant and a PhD candidate in nutrition.

Recently, Active Health Foods launched Active X energy bars at retail.

AKRON, Ohio — Performance Health announced the availability of Perform Pain Relieving Spray, a solution for applying cold therapy to hard-to-reach areas.

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — A study published online earlier this month by the American Journal of Cardiology concluded that supplementation with vitamin D conferred substantial survival benefits, specifically in patients with documented deficiency.

According to the research, evidence supported an association between vitamin D deficiency and hypertension, peripheral vascular disease, diabetes mellitus, metabolic syndrome, coronary artery disease and heart failure.

ATLANTA — Many elderly patients put themselves at risk for emergency hospitalization due to adverse drug events, according to a new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

OSAKA, Japan — A U.S. subsidiary of Takeda Pharmaceutical has filed for regulatory approval of a drug designed to treat Type 2 diabetes, the company said.

The Takeda Global Research and Development Center filed with the Food and Drug Administration for approval of an alogliptin-metformin combination tablet. The company expects the FDA to review the application within the next 10 months.

COLUMBIA, Mo. — A new tool developed by researchers at the University of Missouri improved both the efficiency and accuracy of acquiring data needed for high-quality diabetes care, according to a new study.