HEALTH

WASHINGTON — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Consumer Healthcare Products Association Educational Foundation, in partnership with the PROTECT Initiative, on Tuesday issued a reminder for Americans this holiday season about the importance of safe medicine storage at home and on-the-go, as part of the Up and Away and Out of Sight educational programs.

AUSTIN, Texas — SoloHealth on Wednesday announced that its SoloHealth Station digital kiosk has seen consumer engagement rise more than 200% since late summer. To date, 5 million consumers have interacted with the kiosk, up from 2.5 million in late August. Additionally, daily consumer usage has increased three fold, going from 10,000 per day at the end of August to approximately 35,000 today.

RARITAN, N.J. — A subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson is seeking regulatory approval for a new Type 2 diabetes drug.

J&J division Janssen Research & Development announced Wednesday that it had filed with the Food and Drug Administration for a drug combining the experimental drug canagliflozin and immediate-release metformin, a common generic drug for diabetes.

The company also submitted a regulatory approval application to the FDA for canagliflozin in May 2012.

CHICAGO — Bausch & Lomb is actively exploring a sale that could command upward of $10 billion, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal published Tuesday. 

According to the report, Bausch & Lomb has been entertaining informal inquiries since the announcement that the company may soon issue an initial public offering. If no buyer materializes, the eye care company still plans to pursue an IPO, the report noted.

MADISON, N.J. — Pfizer Consumer Healthcare on Wednesday introduced Robitussin CoughCast, a new interactive tool that allows people to track cough activity in their local area. 

According to the company, already this year nearly 18.2 million U.S. adults have experienced cold and flu symptoms, and more than 18 million have reported suffering from cough, making it one of the most highly reported symptoms.

ALBANY — The New York Department of Health on Monday announced that reported cases of influenza are increasing throughout New York, and flu activity in the state is now considered to be widespread, with laboratory-confirmed cases in more than half the regions. 

Since New York began its annual seasonal flu surveillance this fall, influenza cases have been reported in 47 counties and the five boroughs of New York City. This is consistent with nationwide reporting that shows influenza activity is also increasing in many regions of the country. 

CHEVY CHASE, Md. — Vitamin D levels in women during pregnancy could impact birth weight, according to research released Tuesday by the Endocrine Society.

PARSIPPANY, N.J. — The consumer healthcare division of drug maker GlaxoSmithKline has launched a new website designed to encourage people to quit smoking and promote such products as nicotine gums, lozenges and patches.

Quit.com is described as a "total quit-smoking online resource" that includes features to help smokers create personalized plans for quitting without relapsing.