Retail Clinics

MINNEAPOLIS — Target announced that it is launching a month-long anti-smoking campaign in connection with the American Cancer Society's 2010 Great American Smokeout to support guests and team members in their efforts to quit smoking.

PORTLAND, Ore. Aisle7 on Thursday announced the launch of its Aisle7 online widget gallery, home to plug-and-play mini apps that easily can be placed on a website to inform shoppers of the latest health recommendations, provide shopping ideas and recommend products for health-and-wellness goals. The widgets also provide website content producers a cost-effective solution that automatically updates a page with the latest wellness content without extra development overhead.

PARSIPPANY, N.J. GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare on Thursday commended the Food and Drug Administration for holding a scientific workshop this week that focused on the risks and benefits associated with the long-term use of nicotine-replacement therapy products.

MINNEAPOLIS Supervalu on Thursday announced the launch of a comprehensive, whole-store health-and-wellness program called “living healthy with my diabetes.”

The program offers a variety of resources to make life easier for customers living with diabetes, including educational materials, health screening tests, group and individual diabetes education and training programs, medication management consultations, nutrition information, dietary tools, products and other services.

COLUMBIA , S.C. (May 27) One of the nation's largest drug store chains has teamed up with a healthcare benefits company and a community solutions provider to raise awareness of the need for adequate vitamin D intake.

Walgreens, Aetna and United Way of the Midlands are continuing their efforts through a vitamin D giveaway program extension, which initially was kicked off earlier this year. The vitamin D awareness efforts will donate more than 25,000 samples, the companies said.

BASEL, Switzerland An investigative vaccine made by Novartis appears to offer good protection against meningococcal disease in infants, according to results of a late-stage clinical trial released Monday.

The Swiss drug maker said results of a phase-3 trial showed that Menveo (meningococcal group A, C, W135 and Y) induced immune responses in a high percentage of babies against four strains of the bacteria. Meningococcal disease occurs suddenly and can cause serious illness and often death during the first year of life.

COLD SPRING HARBOR, N.Y. Cirrus Healthcare Products recently announced the launch of ClearEars, earplugs that contain a polymer to draw water from the ears after water activities. Consumers with glue ear, a condition in which thick, sticky fluid collects behind the eardrum, discovered that ClearEars helps to alleviate this condition, the company said.

NEW ORLEANS Opening another front in its long campaign to extend electronic prescribing and health information technology throughout the United States, e-prescribing platform provider Surescripts said Monday that it will expand its nationwide e-prescribing network to accelerate the digital transformation of the nation’s healthcare system by enabling the electronic exchange of all types of clinical information.