HEALTH

NORTH WALES, Pa. — Teva earlier this week announced it had submitted a request to the Food and Drug Administration to allow for the sale of the emergency contraceptive Plan B One-Step to women under the age of 17 years without a prescription, according to published reports.

WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service on Thursday reversed itself in announcing that breast-feeding supplies qualify as a medical expense.

The ruling now allows moms who are breast-feeding to purchase all supplies using a flexible spending account. Those without FSAs can deduct the expenses as part of their itemized medical expenditures, including breast-feeding expenses incurred in 2010.

PORTLAND, Ore. — Aisle7 on Thursday announced the availability of an online decision support engine to provide science-based, self-care product recommendations by way of questionnaires, interactive widgets and proprietary content-targeting technology.

The new Aisle7 online decision support tools include a “Homeopathic Medicine Finder,” which was created in partnership with Boiron, and will be featured across more than 2,000 in-store retail locations and 150 websites served by Aisle7.

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. — Genentech, a subsidiary of Roche, reported that its eye drug helped improve vision in patients suffering from a complication caused by diabetes.

In its phase-3 RISE study, Genentech said diabetic macular edema patients that received monthly Lucentis (ranibizumab injection) achieved an improvement in vision at 24 months, compared with placebo.

WASHINGTON — The Council for Responsible Nutrition on Wednesday announced a charity drive “tweet-a-thon” to be hosted at its Life…supplemented Twitter site, @wannabwell. The program’s “Spread the Love Tweet-a-thon” will take place Feb. 14 through 18 to raise money for Vitamin Angels, an organization dedicated to reducing child mortality worldwide by connecting infants and children younger than 5 years old with essential micronutrients.

CINCINNATI — Procter & Gamble on Tuesday unveiled its Metamucil presentation, "The Five Things Every American Needs to do to Lower Their Cholesterol."

The presentation is made by Michael Roizen, chairman of the Wellness Institute at Cleveland Clinic and host of an upcoming PBS series, "Younger You."

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Companion legislation, which seeks to change a provision in the healthcare-reform law and permit Americans to use their flexible spending accounts and health savings accounts to buy over-the-counter medications without a prescription, has the support of the National Association of Chain Drug Stores.

SILVER SPRING, Md. — The Food and Drug Administration will propose an amendment to the over-the-counter laxative monograph that sodium phosphate salts are not generally recognized as safe for bowel cleansing.

A request for public comments will be published in Friday’s Federal Register.