INSIGHTS AND PERSPECTIVES

SAN ANTONIO — Nearly three-quarters of osteoporosis patients prefer to take their medication in a form other than an oral solid, according to a new survey.

WASHINGTON — Just slightly more than one-third of adults aged 18 to 64 got a flu shot last season, compared with two-thirds of seniors and more than half of children, according to an analysis released Tuesday by the Trust for America's Health.

With the launch of Family Vitamin Center, CVS/pharmacy created a new health hub on CVS.com to help educate customers on the vitamins and supplements that can support their personal health goals. The site is designed to declutter the dietary supplement aisle with features like an interactive questionnaire and guidance tools that provide personalized supplement recommendations.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. —Vulnerable patients, including seniors and cancer patients, suffer from lack of access to needed painkillers as efforts to combat diversion and misuse of controlled substances often result in drugs not getting into the hands of those who need them, according to a new pharmacist survey by the National Community Pharmacists Association. 

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Ninety percent of people today want to have a say in important decisions regarding their health care, but only a small percentage are certain they'll have the recommended amount of savings needed to cover health expenses after retirement, according to a new study.

Probiotics is another large-scale source of growth for the vitamins, minerals and supplements category, having realized a 33% rate of growth, or an increase in sales of $121 million in the last year, noted Doug Jones, Pharmavite spokesman.

(For the full category review, including sales data, click here.)

PRINCETON, N.J. — Food and beverage manufacturers in the United States exceeded the goal to remove calories from their products by 400%, according to a new report by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

ROCKVILLE, Md. — While snacking has become increasingly popular among Americans, often even replacing regular meals, many companies also have been developing salty snack foods that are healthier, according to a new study.

In a report titled "Salty Snacks in the U.S.," market research firm Packaged Facts found that 50 million consumers who often snack between meals consider salted snacks their favorite, while 90% of households reporting eating salty snacks in the past 30 days.