HEALTH

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. —Thermionics’ ThermiPaq products, which now sport an eye-catching yellow “Control Your Pain!” panel as part of a new graphics package, has been a significant driver of growth within the heat/ice packs segment of late.

For the 52 weeks ended Aug. 8, Thermipaq sales were up 27.2%, reaching $6.1 million across food, drug and mass (minus Walmart) outlets, according to SymphonyIRI Group data. That growth is outpacing the category as a whole, which currently is trending up 6.1%.

NEW YORK CVS Caremark has no doubt been a trailblazer in the healthcare arena, positioning itself along the front lines to leverage its various points of care to improve outcomes and lower healthcare costs. But with all that CVS Caremark has done and will continue to do in the healthcare space -- and it is no doubt a lot -- it still has more than 7,000 retail locations, and the front of the store continues to be a critical part of its business and a major growth driver for the company.

WHAT IT MEANS AND WHY IT’S IMPORTANT Retail pharmacy operators continue to expand their presence in the burgeoning market for retail-based walk-in clinics, and the services those convenient-care centers provide. And there’s growing evidence that the nation’s overwrought, cash-crunched healthcare system desperately needs those services in a time of dwindling resources, overworked primary care physicians and unsustainable cost hikes.

NEW YORK A new study published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health found that the nation's average larger waist circumference is an indicator as to why the diabetes rate in America is higher than the rate in England.

James Smith, corporate chair of economics at the nonprofit organization RAND Corp., and researchers found that American men's waists were an average of 3 cm (1.5 in.) larger than those of men in England. Similarly, American women's waists were an average of 5 cm (2 in.) larger than those of women in England.

SILVER SPRING, Md. Clinical trial data indicating an increased risk of heart attack and stroke has led to the removal from the market of an obesity drug made by Abbott, the Food and Drug Administration said Friday.

The FDA said the drug maker voluntarily withdrew the drug Meridia (sibutramine) following a required post-marketing trial showing that the drug increased by 16% the risk of nonfatal heart attacks and strokes, the need for resuscitation after the heart stopped and death.