HEALTH

FERNDALE, Wash. — Wellesse earlier this week introduced its Digestive 3-in-1 Health, a liquid supplement that promotes healthy digestion and regularity, soothes the stomach and helps the body resist occasional imbalance.

"Most people who indulge pay for it with uncomfortable, embarrassing or even tiring digestive symptoms on a regular basis," stated registered dietitian Marie Spano, speaking on behalf of Wellesse.

The Obama administration on the official White House website identifies “5 Important Numbers on Health Reform.” These include:

• Zero. The amount consumers would have to pay for premiums, co-insurance or co-payments on any preventive services;

• Fifty. The number of states that now offer insurance options to all people, regardless of any pre-existing conditions;

• One million. The number of doughnut-hole rebate checks mailed to seniors under Part D as of August 2010;

NEW YORK — Sure, the plethora of proton-pump inhibitors dotting digestive aisles these days have generated plenty of buzz among antacids, but what do heartburn sufferers do while they wait for the PPI to begin working? They turn to an immediate relief option like the Tums and Tums Ultra brands, which together generated growth of 96.3% to $24.9 million for the 12 weeks ended Jan. 23 across food, drug and mass (minus Walmart), according to SymphonyIRI Group data.

NEW YORK — The new marketing frontier of social media has created new opportunities to reach a very passionate consumer, and that may be one big reason behind homeopathy’s escalating penetration with the general public.

Aisle7 and Boiron last month partnered on the Aisle7 Online Decision Support Tools, an online decision support engine to provide science-based, self-care homeopathic product recommendations. Called the Homeopathic Medicine Finder, the Boiron-branded tool enables consumers to filter through more than 350 health conditions and symptoms to find the right product. 
The new tool will be featured across more than 2,000 in-store retail locations and 150 websites served by Aisle7.

IRVINGTON, N.Y. — Prestige Brands on Friday named Paul Hennessey VP operations.

“Paul's background in over-the-counter consumer products is a terrific match for our company,” stated Prestige president and CEO Matthew Mannelly. “As we continue to grow and become even more customer- and consumer-focused in OTC, Paul's leadership skills and extensive experience in supply chain manufacturing will serve our brands and our company well."

PLYMOUTH MEETING, Pa. — Pollen.com and Weather Trends International last month teamed together on a new forecast tool for allergy sufferers: a 28-day weather forecast by zip code to help people with allergies better plan when pollen levels are likely to be high in their area.

CATANZARO, Italy — A new study revealed that a single gene mutation might be the cause of Type 2 diabetes.