Retail Clinics

MONTREAL — A new probiotic formula that features added vitamins has entered the market.

ProbioKid Vita+, developed by Institut Rosell-Lallemand, combines a synbiotic formula of probiotic strains — Lactobacillus helveticus Rosell-52, Bifidobacterium bifidum Rosell-71 and Bifidobacterium infantis Rosell-33 — and a prebiotic (fructooligosaccharide, or FOS) with vitamins C and D. The product is designed to boost kids' immunity in the winter, the company said.

ProbioKid Vita+ recently was unveiled at the Vitafoods Europe trade show in Geneva.

SILVER SPRING, Md. — The Food and Drug Administration has approved a new influenza vaccine formulation for the 2011-2012 flu season, the agency said Monday.

The FDA said six manufacturers are licensed to produce vaccines. These include GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals, manufacturing Fluarix; CSL Limited, manufacturing Afluria; ID Biomedical, manufacturing FluLaval; MedImmune Vaccines, manufacturing FluMist; Novartis Vaccines and Diagnostics, manufacturing Fluvirin; and Sanofi Pasteur, manufacturing Fluzone.

SWIFTWATER, Pa. — Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccines division of Sanofi, on Monday announced that it has begun shipping its 2011-2012 Fluzone influenza virus vaccine in the United States. This shipment represents the first of approximately 70 million doses of seasonal influenza vaccine the company plans to deliver to the United States in the upcoming season.

LOS ANGELES — The National Eczema Association, a nonprofit organization devoted to improving the health and quality of life for those living with eczema, has awarded four MD Moms products with its Seal of Acceptance, which means that the products have been evaluated to determine that they do not contain ingredients or contents that are known to be unsuitable for use by those with eczema or sensitive skin conditions.

MORRISVILLE, N.C. — Polyglot Systems and CarePoint have partnered to help healthcare providers communicate medication instructions more effectively to patients, the two companies said Thursday.

GENEVA — The World Health Organization on Thursday announced 11 new manufacturers of the seasonal flu vaccine, a development that is expected to double the number of influenza doses to 1.7 billion worldwide by 2015, according to published reports. 

In all, there now are 37 approved vaccine manufacturers that potentially could triple their annual production to make as much as 5.4 billion pandemic vaccinations in the event of another H1N1-type outbreak. 

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The U.S. Department of Defense has issued a final rule that, effective Aug. 12, expands the scope of retail pharmacy-provided vaccination services in the TRICARE military healthcare program for the nation’s military, retirees and their families.
 

HOUSTON — Retail-based clinic operator RediClinic, which has about 30 clinics inside select H-E-B grocery stores, is offering patients a $10 savings on school physicals if they "like" RediClinic on Facebook.

As of last count, RediClinic had 854 "likes." Physicals at RediClinic are usually priced at $59.