HEALTH

DANBURY, Conn. — A biopharmaceutical company that specializes in diabetes treatments has appointed a new board chairman.

Biodel said that effective immediately, Brian Pereira, who has served on the drug maker's board since 2007, will become chairman. Current chairman Charles Sanders, who served as chairman since March 2010 after joining the board in August 2006, will continue to serve as a board member, Biodel said.

NORTH BERGEN, N.J. — Vitamin Shoppe on Monday announced that Sequel Naturals’ Vega Whole Food Health Optimizer and Sport Performance Optimizer products now are available at all retail locations and at VitaminShoppe.com.

CINCINNATI — Procter & Gamble's latest BrandSaver coupon booklet, which will be released next week, will feature entries from P&G Future Friendly's Find Your Footprint student contest.

The contest, which was hosted in conjunction with National Geographic, demonstrated the importance of conserving natural resources, as well as simple steps consumers can take in their homes to improve their own environmental performance.

NEW YORK — Two American Media publications, Shape and Men’s Fitness, have partnered with Sensa and its Sensa weight-loss system on an interactive weight-loss plan called Better2gether.

The free customized program features special couples workouts created by the fitness editors at Shape and Men’s Fitness, as well as proven weight-loss tips, nutritional and lifestyle advice, and interactive workouts based on body weight.

WARREN, Mich. — The parent company of Mack's earplugs has tapped Jake Herman as its newest national sales manager.

McKeon Products said Herman will be responsible for U.S. retail sales to food, drug and mass merchant customers.

MONMOUTH JUNCTION, N.J. — Tris Pharma on Tuesday announced its relaunch of the MyKidz Iron product line, which includes two supplement products and one prescription-only product.

MyKidz Iron was launched in 2007 by NextWave Pharmaceuticals. In August 2010, NextWave partnered with Tris on developing medicines focused on the central nervous system. As part of that partnership, all non-CNS over-the-counter products were acquired by Tris.

CAMP HILL, Pa. — In a sneeze heard around the world, allergy season is afoot, but the country’s retail pharmacies are on call to help the estimated 60 million Americans whose sneezing, coughing, watery eyes and congestion will drive them to wit’s end this year.

ROCKVILLE, Md. — The U.S. Pharmacopeial Convention last week announced that it is working with the Food and Drug Administration and the Consumer Healthcare Products Association to update quality standards for widely used medicines and ingredients. Updated test methodologies are crucial to help counter economically motivated adulteration — in which less expensive and potentially harmful ingredients are substituted for genuine medicines or their ingredients — and also to address the challenge of impurities that may go undetected with older, nonspecific assays and tests.