HEALTH

CAMP HILL, Pa. — Mike Cirilli has joined Rite Aid as senior director of OTC and private label, Rite Aid said.

With 29 years of work experience in retail category management and merchandising, Cirilli most recently was VP merchandising with Duane Reade, where he worked for 16 years, and was a director and VP supply chain for Krasdale Foods. At Rite Aid, he will report to group VP category management Bill Bergin.

A native of New York, Cirilli earned his bachelor degree in accounting from Fairleigh Dickinson University.

SLOUGH, England — The battle for Schiff Nutrition is on. Reckitt Benckiser on Friday commenced its previously announced tender offer to acquire all of the outstanding shares of Schiff Nutrition — a provider of branded vitamins, nutrition supplements and nutrition bars in the United States and elsewhere — for $42 per share in cash, or approximately $1.4 billion.

DENVER — Ibotta on Friday officially launched its free mobile application for iPhone users that gives consumers a new way to earn as much as $40 in cash each time they shop. With Ibotta, consumers earn cash rewards for answering a trivia question, watching videos and/or providing feedback on their favorite products, then buying the products in major national retailers, such as Walmart, Target and Walgreens.  

NEW YORK — Walgreens and JDRF on Friday announced that Walgreens' community-based programs helped raise more than $1.3 million in 2012 for JDRF. The year marked the 21st anniversary of Walgreens' participation in JDRF's nationwide campaign to raise funds for research to put an end to diabetes.

During the month of July, as part of the Walgreens Way to Well Commitment, customers at more than 7,500 Walgreens stores could make donations of $1 or more at checkout. 

PENWORTHAM, England — Sometimes, in looking for new ideas in the retail industry, it helps to take a peek outside the borders of the United States. 


RH Labs just launched a line of intimacy health products endorsed by Laura Berman, a well-known sex and relationship expert who hosts the show “In The Bedroom” on the Oprah Winfrey Network. Berman collaborated on the design of every product in her line, the company noted.


It’s the kind of endorsement that will heighten the importance of intimacy health as part of an overall healthcare regimen. 


Sales of intimacy enhancement devices were up 24.3% to $4.1 million over the 12 weeks ended Sept. 9, according to SymphonyIRI group data.

SILVER SPRING, Md. — The Food and Drug Administration's Nonprescription Drugs Advisory Committee on Friday voted against Merck's application to switch its Oxytrol patch from prescription-only to over the counter, citing concerns over use of therapy for an overactive bladder in women without a doctor's intervention. 

The committee voted five in favor and six opposed, also citing concerns that men might inappropriately choose to use the product as well. 

As more Americans join the ranks of diabetics, the opportunity to target these consumers at the shelf becomes more crucial. 


Retailers like Rite Aid are using pull-box displays that allow customers to physically handle a blood-glucose meter before they make that purchase decision. That kind of consumer engagement, evident throughout Rite Aid’s latest Wellness format store, for example, helps anchor diabetes as a front-end destination center.