Retail Clinics

HAUPPAUGE, N.Y. The Food and Drug Administration has approved a generic treatment for hypertension and liver cirrhosis made by Amneal Pharmaceuticals, Amneal said Thursday.

The FDA approved Amneal’s spironolactone hydrochloride tablets in the 25 mg, 50 mg and 100 mg strengths. The drug is a generic version of Pfizer’s Aldactone. Various versions of the drug had sales of $91 million in 2009, according to IMS Health.

NEW YORK Those with Type 2 diabetes may be at greater risk of developing the brain plaques associated with Alzheimer’s disease, new research suggested.

According to a Japanese study, which appeared in the Aug. 25 online issue of the journal Neurology, those individuals with the highest levels of insulin resistance had nearly six times the odds of developing plaque deposits between the nerves in the brain, after adjusting for other risk factors, compared with those with the lowest levels of fasting insulin.

EAST HANOVER, N.J. The Food and Drug Administration has approved a single-pill combination of two drugs made by Novartis for treating high blood pressure, the Swiss drug maker said Friday.

The FDA approved Tekamlo (aliskiren and amlodipine besylate) tablets, which combine Tekturna (aliskiren) with amlodipine, a channel blocker available as a generic. The drug is approved for treating patients who are likely to need multiple drugs to lower their blood pressure or as a replacement for patients who can’t control it using one of the drugs alone.

PITTSBURGH Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh found that mothers who did not breast-feed their children have higher rates of Type 2 diabetes later in life compared with those who breast-fed.

PITTSBURGH To help raise awareness around Commit Lozenge, which has been folded into the Nicorette franchise, GlaxoSmithKline earlier this week introduced a new commercial to its “Nicorette Makes Quitting Suck Less” campaign, the company announced Wednesday.

PITTSBURGH To help raise awareness around Commit Lozenge, which has been folded into the Nicorette franchise, GlaxoSmithKline earlier this week introduced a new commercial to its “Nicorette Makes Quitting Suck Less” campaign, the company announced Wednesday.

SWIFTWATER, Pa. The Food and Drug Administration has accepted an application from Sanofi Pasteur to expand the use of a vaccine in children.

Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccines division of French drug maker Sanofi-Aventis, announced Thursday the FDA’s acceptance of its application seeking approval of Menactra (meningococcal [groups A, C, Y and W-135] polysaccharide diphtheria toxoid conjugate vaccine) for active immunizations of infants and toddlers against invasive meningococcal disease.

MINNEAPOLIS Gearing up for flu season, Target will launch its nationwide flu vaccination program at its more than 1,600 pharmacies and Target Clinic locations beginning Sept. 1.

Target pharmacists and clinicians will administer the flu shots, at a cost of $24, during regular pharmacy and in-store clinic hours, including weekday evenings and weekends. Target Clinic locations also will offer the nasal spray for $36.

NORTH WALES, Pa. Teva Pharmaceutical Industries has launched a generic version of a weekly formulation of a popular antidepressant, the generic drug maker said.

Teva announced the launch of fluoxetine delayed-release capsules, a generic version of Eli Lilly’s Prozac Weekly.

NORTH WALES, Pa. Teva Pharmaceutical Industries has launched a generic version of a weekly formulation of a popular antidepressant, the generic drug maker said.