Retail Clinics

PITTSBURGH — A private entrepreneur is close to introducing a take-home intracervical insemination fertilization kit to retail, according to a story published in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Friday. The product will be submitted for Food and Drug Administration approval in the first half of 2011. If approved, Steve Bollinger first plans to introduce the product into doctor’s offices before launching through retail pharmacy.

BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Sam's Club pharmacies, which ranked highest among retailers in the prescription ordering and pickup process category in the J.D. Power and Associates 2010 U.S. National Pharmacy Study, is expanding its services this month.

Throughout the month of February, Sam's Club is emphasizing its pharmacy segment by offering customers a free prescription checkup on any medication, as well as a free 10-count sample of its Member's Mark fish oil supplements (except in Puerto Rico-based stores).

AMITYVILLE, N.Y. — Hi-Tech Pharmacal subsidiary ECR Pharmaceuticals has launched a drug for treating insomnia.

ECR announced Friday the launch of Zolpimist (zolpidem tartrate) oral spray. The drug comes in units that provide 60 metered sprays, administering 5-mg or 10-mg doses of the active ingredient. As a hypnotic agent, the drug is classified as a CIV controlled substance by the federal government.

ATLANTA — A drug designed to treat an eye condition caused by diabetes may provide a long-term option for patients, according to Alimera Sciences.

Alimera said in two three-year, phase-3 pivotal clinical trials — collectively known as the FAME Study — of Iluvien, which is designed to treat diabetic macular edema, the drug improved visual acuity among patients.

DEERFIELD, Ill. — With the state of Colorado experiencing an increase in the number of reported whooping cough cases, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment has been encouraging vaccination to help increase immunity and stop the spread of the disease.

In response to this, Walgreens on Thursday announced that it now is offering immunizations that provide protection against pertussis (tetanus/diphtheria/pertussis-Tdap vaccine) at all of its more than 150 stores throughout the state, every day, with no appointment necessary.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — US WorldMeds has announced a new treatment for migraines, the drug maker said Wednesday.

The company announced the launch of Alsuma auto-injector (sumatriptan), which injects the drug sumatriptan under the skin via a single-use, prefilled auto injector. The company is selling the drug under a licensing agreement from King Pharmaceuticals.

WHITEHOUSE STATION, N.J. — Merck’s vaccine for human papillomavirus is 89% effective in preventing genital warts in teenage boys and young men, according to a new study.

The phase-3 study of Gardasil (human papillomavirus quadrivalent [types 6, 11, 16 and 18] vaccine, recombinant) in boys and men ages 16 to 26 years was published in the Feb. 3 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. Human papillomavirus is the cause of genital and anal warts, and infection can increase the risk of developing cancer later in life.

RIDGEFIELD, Conn. — A coalition of companies, celebrities and health organizations has achieved its goal of screening 1 million Americans for risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Drive4COPD announced the milestone Wednesday, saying its aim was to change how COPD is addressed in the United States; Drive4COPD identified those at risk through its COPD Population Screener.