INSIGHTS AND PERSPECTIVES

WHAT IT MEANS AND WHY IT'S IMPORTANT — The news that Larry Merlo is taking the helm at CVS Caremark was expected, but that doesn't take away from its significance.

(THE NEWS: Merlo to assume CEO role at CVS Caremark. For the full story, click here)

Since beginning his career in chain pharmacy in 1978 with People's Drug (which CVS acquired in 1990), Merlo has become an operations guru who wrote the book on successfully integrating acquisitions.

WHAT IT MEANS AND WHY IT'S IMPORTANT — Though Schering-Plough’s — now Merck’s — Claritin and Johnson & Johnson’s Zyrtec product lines have dominated the over-the-counter antihistamine market, the big share of the prescription antihistamine market held by Sanofi-Aventis’ Allegra (fexofenadine hydrochloride) could give it a battering ram to bust in as well, thanks to the big break Sanofi got in the form of a Food and Drug Administration approval of an OTC switch for the drug.

RARITAN, N.J. — A drug made by Johnson & Johnson may be effective in reducing pain in patients with a complication of diabetes, according to a late-stage clinical study.

DALLAS — Researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center suggested that taking away the actions of a certain hormone can alter Type 1 diabetes into "an asymptomatic, noninsulin-dependent disorder."

When testing mice, the researchers found that insulin is not depended on when the body's hormone, glucagon, is suppressed.

SANTA MONICA, Calif. — Seniors of Hispanic descent are far less likely to become immunized against the flu or pneumonia, compared with white seniors, according to a new RAND study released earlier this week.

Researchers found that Hispanic seniors who prefer speaking Spanish and live in such linguistically isolated communities as the Southeast are least likely to be immunized.

CHICAGO — Smoking before menopause, especially prior to giving birth, may be associated with a modest increase in the risk of developing breast cancer, according to a report in the Jan. 24 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.

IRVINGTON, N.Y. — Pittsburgh and Green Bay, Wis., retailers ought to have plenty of sore throat remedies in preparation for the Super Bowl — 28% of sore throat sufferers got that pain by cheering and screaming, according to a new study released Tuesday by Prestige Brands.

WASHINGTON — The Conference Board said Tuesday that its Consumer Confidence Index reached its highest level in eight months as Americans grew more optimistic about the job market.

The index climbed to 60.6 this month, up from 53.3 in December. While that reading surpassed expectations, it still fell short of the 90 level that indicates a healthy consumer mindset.

The January figure was the highest since last May's 62.7. The index has not risen above 90 since the recession began in December 2007.