Retail Clinics

SILVER SPRING, Md.— The Food and Drug Administration has approved a new treatment for chronic hepatitis C, the agency said Friday.

The FDA announced the approval of Merck’s Victrelis (boceprevir) for patients with the disease. The drug is designed for patients who still have some liver function and have not previously received treatment for chronic hepatitis C infection or have failed previous treatments. The drug is approved for use in combination with the generic drug ribavirin and pegylated interferons, biotech drugs used for treating the disease.

WASHINGTON — The Food and Drug Administration is convening its Nonprescription Drugs Advisory Committee Tuesday and Wednesday to debate mandating weight-based dosing for pediatric medicines containing acetaminophen on the Drug Facts label, as well as the potential expansion of dosing instructions to incorporate children under the age of 2 years old, according to material posted online by the FDA on Friday.

MARYLAND HEIGHTS, Mo. — According to a report in the May issue of Cell Metabolism, while drugs known as thiazolidinediones, or TZDs, are widely used in diabetes treatment, they have effects on the kidneys that lead to fluid retention as the volume of plasma in the bloodstream expands.

"TZDs usually increase body weight by several kilograms," stated George Seki of the University of Tokyo. "However, TZDs sometimes cause massive volume expansion, resulting in heart failure."

NEW YORK — Diabetics that have trouble sleeping likely experience high insulin resistance and have a more difficult time controlling the disease, according to study findings published in the June issue of Diabetes Care.

Researchers said they monitored the sleep of 40 subjects with diabetes for a duration of six nights and also measured the subjects' insulin and glucose levels during clinical examinations. The subjects also reported if they generally suffered from symptoms of such sleep disturbances as insomnia, snoring or sleep apnea.

AUSTIN, Texas — In honor of Skin Cancer Awareness Month, Thinksport and Livestrong have announced that Thinksport Livestrong sunscreen now is available online and in stores just in time for summer.

Online retailers carrying the sunscreen include Drugstore.com, CVS.com, Thinksport.co, Amazon.com and REI.com. The sunscreen also is available at most Golfsmith and Whole Foods Market stores nationwide.

WASHINGTON — More than 800 drugs are in development for diseases that affect women, according to a pharmaceutical industry lobbying group.

NEW YORK — Patients taking cardiovascular drugs may become less adherent if they have to see multiple physicians and make frequent trips to the pharmacy, according to a new study published in the journal Archives of Internal Medicine.

Researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School in Boston and CVS Caremark analyzed data from 1.8 million patients taking statins and 1.5 million taking angiotensin receptor blockers or angiotensin-converting enzymes from between June 2006 and May 2007.

WASHINGTON — The Health Choices Coalition sent a letter to members of Congress, urging them to repeal legislation that limits coverage of over-the-counter medicines.

The coalition is looking to Congress to repeal a provision in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act that prevents consumers from using their flexible spending accounts to purchase OTCs without first getting a doctor's prescription. Members of the Health Choices Coalition are urging Congress to take action in order to allow consumers to use their FSAs for OTCs.