INSIGHTS AND PERSPECTIVES

NEW YORK What it means is a stronger dietary supplement industry sans criticism that the industry is rampant with hucksters trying to talk consumers into the miracle cure du jour. Why it’s important: Well, the industry generates some $6 billion in mass channel sales (food, drug and mass, including Walmart), up 7%, according to Nielsen data, and the more confidence consumers have in this category, the more likely they are to buy.

NEW YORK Don’t be surprised to see an “Under New Management” sign hanging from the door of Mead Johnson’s doors sometime soon — the split-off makes it easier now for Mead Johnson to be acquired, and it just may be a very lucrative target.

NEW YORK Like their chain pharmacy counterparts, the people who own and operate their own single-store or small-chain drug stores — as well as the advocacy groups that lobby on their behalf — are keeping close tabs on the progress of the various health-reform bills moving through the U.S. Senate and House. They should.

NEW YORK Whether it is through its Maintenance Choice program, the MinuteClinic business or its ExtraCare Health card offering, CVS Caremark has been loud and clear in its mission to lower healthcare costs and improve patient outcomes. Now, the pharmacy healthcare provider is going one step further through a new partnership with Generation Health.

NEW YORK This kind of news is more notable for what it doesn’t mean than what it means. And what it doesn’t mean is good news for the dietary supplement industry, because what it doesn’t mean is the industry is “unregulated,” or even “loosely regulated,” for those of you keeping track of how often reporters on some of the major dailies get it wrong.