INSIGHTS AND PERSPECTIVES

Authorities in Massachusetts are looking to tighten regulations on compounding pharmacies as the state health department announced some changes to the makeup of the Massachusetts Board of Pharmacy and sent cease-and-desist notices to three compounding pharmacies for alleged violations.

DEERFIELD, Ill. — Walgreens last Wednesday reported November sales of $5.9 billion, a decrease of 3.9% versus the same period last year. However, the company also noted it had enrolled 38 million customers for its new loyalty card program, which debuted in September. 

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. — Hiding tobacco product displays at the point of sale may help reduce smoking among young people, a new study suggests.

The study, conducted by RTI International and Tarheel Technologies and published in the January 2013 issue of the journal Pediatrics, examined the behaviors of more than 1,200 smokers and likely smokers ages 13 years to 17 years in a virtual convenience store in which tobacco products were either hidden behind a cabinet or openly displayed along with tobacco ads.

IRVINE, Calif. — The number of consumers using iPhones to gather medical information has grown by 94% since 2011, according to a new study by online medical publishing company The Patient's Guide.

The study, based on engagement-behavior data on 12 million visitors to the site over two years, also found that the iPhone topped the list of mobile devices used to seek medical information online, accounting for 41% of total mobile traffic this year; the company predicts that the iPhone will surpass the desktop computer as the primary device for health information by 2014.

NEW YORK — Women with ovarian cancer and diabetes who took the generic diabetes drug metformin showed better survival rates than those who did not take the drug, according to a new study led by the Mayo Clinic.

The study, published in the journal Cancer, enrolled 61 patients who took metformin and 178 who didn't. Of those who took the drug, 67% were surviving after five years, compared with 47% of those who didn't take it. Further analysis indicated that patients taking metformin were almost four times likelier to survive than those not taking it.

It's only fitting that Walgreens placed its 8,000th store opening among the stars of Hollywood. It's not only a stellar achievement in and of itself, but the company's latest flagship store — and the first one on the West Coast — continues to emphasize Walgreens' out-of-this-world approach to drug store retailing.

WASHINGTON — Increasing the prescriptions filled by Medicare beneficiaries by 1% would reduce the program's spending on medical services by about 0.2% by reducing costs in such areas as hospitalizations, according to a new report by the Congressional Budget Office.

A new report shows that drug makers lose nearly $200 billion per year from medication nonadherence, illustrating that it's not just the healthcare system overall that loses when people don't take their medications properly.