INSIGHTS AND PERSPECTIVES

PURCHASE, N.Y. — Most retail segments showed solid year-over-year retail growth in March, according to MasterCard Advisors SpendingPulse, a macroeconomic report tracking national retail and services sales.

ARLINGTON, Va. — The Center for Healthcare Supply Chain Research, the research foundation of the Healthcare Distribution Management Association, on Tuesday released “Assessing the Impact of Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies (REMS) Requirements on the Pharmaceutical Supply Chain,” the first comprehensive research study analyzing the impact of REMS programs across the healthcare supply chain.

OAKLAND, Calif. — Breast cancer survivors who experience large weight gain have an increased risk of death after diagnosis, according to research released Tuesday by scientists at the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research in Oakland, Calif.

Breast cancer survivors who experienced severe weight gain (10% or more over their pre-diagnosis weight) were 14% more likely to experience a cancer recurrence, compared with women whose weight remained stable (within 5% of pre-diagnosis weight) following diagnosis.

CHICAGO — U.S. consumers that opted to become more thrifty during the recession will face rising food costs with ease as they've mastered ways to stretch their money, according to new research by NPD.

The research group's Economy Tracker found that nearly 3-out-of-4 consumers (74%) strongly agreed that they expect coupons and special deals will be much more important in deciding what to buy, while 67% said that they would shop less in general and 53% said that they would be buying in bulk.

NEW YORK — An overwhelming majority of Consumer Reports readers are highly satisfied with their independent pharmacy experiences, as compared with experiences at some of the national chains, a report to be published in the May issue found.

NEW ORLEANS — Studies have indicated that proton-pump inhibitors, used for treating gastroesophageal reflux disease, reduce the efficacy of a popular blood-thinning drug, but Takeda Pharmaceuticals North America announced on Tuesday the results of a new study indicating that its own PPIs may have less of an effect.

ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J. — A recent study found that nearly 100% of women think their underarms are unattractive, while more than half said that the condition on their underarms impacts their wardrobe choices. In response to this, Unilever is looking to help women "go sleeveless" with confidence with the launch of its new Dove Ultimate Go Sleeveless deodorant.

NEW YORK — Retailers rank among the highest for their customer service, according to a new report by the Temkin Group.

The consulting and research firm analyzed responses from 6,000 consumers, found that Amazon.com ranked No. 1 for providing an "excellent" customer experience, coming in with a ranking of 81.3%. A business qualifies for an "excellent" rating when their score is 80% or higher, Temkin said.