HEALTH

WAUKESHA, Wis. — Hamacher Resource Group will be participating in The Drug Store News Group's Diabetes Leadership Forum, part of the Industry Issues conference, to be held Nov. 29 at the New York Athletic Club. HRG VP Dave Wendland will moderate the discussion for the eighth year in a row. The panel will include six of the leading health and beauty retailers in the country.

NEW YORK — A test commonly used to identify patients with diabetes or those at risk of developing the condition may not produce accurate results among children, according to a new study conducted by researchers at the University of Michigan.

The study, published online ahead of print in the journal Diabetes Care, tested 254 overweight children using both fasting and nonfasting methods. Researchers found that the recommended test, hemoglobin A1C (HbA1C), missed more cases of prediabetes or diabetes, compared with other tests.

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — PharmaCline has launched a topical antibiotic for prediabetes and diabetes patients that is designed to treat minor cuts, scrapes and burns.

Diabecline, the company said, is an over-the-counter antibiotic that targets the source of infection through site-specific penetration technology.

"Our Diabecline antibiotic allows users who are at greater risk of developing serious infections to achieve better care," PharmaCline CEO Steve Keough said.

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — An online data sharing platform announced it will debut a daily blood-glucose monitoring feature for its more than 2,000 diabetes patients.

PatientsLikeMe said patients will be able to report daily glucose levels, as well as continue sharing and learning from HbA1C scores, treatments and dosages, in addition to symptoms and severity.

The feature will be launched in early December, PatientsLikeMe said.

MINNEAPOLIS — The Food and Drug Administration has approved a professional glucose monitoring system made by Medtronic, the company said.

PHILADELPHIA — A hand and respiratory hygiene program including frequent use of alcohol-based hand sanitizer helped reduce illness caused by influenza A, and reduced the number of missed school days in elementary school children, according to a study in the November issue of the Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal.

WASHINGTON — The Council for Responsible Nutrition on Monday announced that Rend Al-Mondhiry has joined CRN’s staff to serve as the trade association’s regulatory counsel.

“This is a new position for our association and [Al-Mondhiry's] skill set and experience provide a perfect match for what we need," CRN president and CEO Steve Mister said. "Her knowledge of food and drug law will make her a tremendous asset for our staff and for our members."

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Almost one-third of Americans who have not had enough money to pay for health care and/or medicine in the past 12 months are smokers, according to the October 2011 Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index. The percentage of smokers is cut in half (14.2%) when it comes to the population that can afford to pay for health care and/or medicine in the past 12 months. Of the Americans without a personal doctor, 27.5% smoke.