HEALTH

A regional player is getting into the VMS business in a unique and personalized way. Ritzman Pharmacy, based in Medina, Ohio, last spring launched a new line of own-brand patient-customized supplements through its RefreshinQ division as part of a new wellness subscription offering.
 
“RefreshinQ is the future of Ritzman and [represents] how we’re positioning ourselves differently,” Ritzman Pharmacy president and COO George Glatcz said. “It’s changing the way we do business.”
 

Steel yourself for a strong cough/cold and flu season. Because before the ball even had a chance to drop in Times Square on Dec. 31, the 2017/2018 flu season is already being touted as the strongest on record since the 2009 H1N1 pandemic. According to data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday, 5.8% of patient visits reported through the U.S. Outpatient Influenza-like Illness Surveillance Network were due to influenza-like illness.

Nature’s Truth this week announced the introduction of five new farm-fresh powders to their expanding product line. The new, innovative powders supply nutrients in a convenient way that goes beyond the traditional capsule or tablet that consumers are used to.

As flu season swings into high gear, a new poll suggests that nursing homes and other long-term care facilities should be doing more to get their staff and patients vaccinated before it's too late. Nearly three-quarters of people over age 50 surveyed in a new poll say that all staff in such facilities should definitely be required to get the flu vaccine. More than 60% also say that all patients in nursing homes and assisted living should definitely get vaccinated too.

A staunch legislative advocate of the dietary supplement and over-the-counter medicine industries earlier this week announced his retirement from the Senate. On Tuesday, Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, announced on Twitter that he will not be defending his Senate seat in 2018.

There may have been plenty of cough and cold products in the Christmas stockings of residents in the Lone Star State, as Texas markets continue to top the Walgreens Flu Index list for flu activity, the Deerfield, Ill.-based chain announced Wednesday morning. As many as nine of the top 10 markets exhibiting flu activity were in Texas, though flu incidence may be gaining traction across the nation as gains in flu activity were recorded from San Diego to Lafeyette, La.

To help mitigate the risk of autistic traits in children exposed to antiepileptic drugs in utero, women may benefit from folic acid supplementation before they get pregnant, according to a late December article published in JAMA Neurology. Fertile women using antiepileptic drugs should take folic acid supplements continuously, the study concluded.

Vitamin Packs, a personalized vitamin subscription service, on Tuesday unveiled two new products — its Foundational Multi and Pre-Post Natal Multi.