News Briefs

With midterm elections on the horizon, members of the National Community Pharmacists Association have completed dozens of pharmacy visits with policymakers or their staff as part of NCPA’s Month of Action initiative.

The Month of Action was in lieu of NCPA’s Congressional Pharmacy Fly-In to Washington, D.C., which typically takes place in April. By inviting policymakers to pharmacies instead, this initiative provided firsthand insight into the important role independent pharmacies play in their communities, the many ways that pharmacy teams help patients and the challenges facing the industry.

[Read more: NCPA survey: Three-quarters of community pharmacies report staff shortages]

From Aug. 1 to Sept. 7, NCPA members across the country had plans for 60 visits in conjunction with NCPA’s Month of Action. Twenty-two of these were with legislators who serve in leadership roles in or on key committees for community pharmacy, including Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, and Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.), ranking member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure visited a community pharmacy as well. Nearly 40% of pharmacies participating in the Month of Action hosted a legislator for the first time, an important step in building rapport with those making decisions central to the future of pharmacy. 

“Forging a relationship with my senator and representative over the years has made them much more attuned to independent pharmacy issues,” said NCPA president Michele Belcher, owner of Grants Pass Pharmacy in Grants Pass, Ore.

Belcher has hosted several policymakers at her pharmacy and, in August, joined Wyden, Brooks-LaSure and others in visiting River Road Health Mart Pharmacy in Eugene.

[Read more: 2022 Good Neighbor Pharmacy NCPA Pruitt-Schutte Student Business Plan Competition finalists announced]

“These opportunities show how decisions made in Washington affect independent pharmacies and patients across the country are times well spent,” she said. “I’m glad to have participated in NCPA’s Month of Action and am proud that so many independent pharmacists were prioritized by policymakers’ offices for meeting with this summer.”

One Brand is adding a bit of a crunch to its popular protein bars with a new product line — One Crunch.

Featuring 12 g of protein and 1 g of sugar, the bars come in peanut butter chocolate chip, cinnamon French toast and marshmallow treat varieties.

“After a day of working hard, new One Crunch protein bars are the perfect way to power through afternoon hunger and fatigue,” said Eric Clawson, One Brands’ general manager. “One Brands is known for our flavor innovation, and you can expect more exciting and delicious flavors like marshmallow or French toast, delivered without all the sugar and combined with powerful protein in this new line of bars.”

One Crunch bars are available for purchase online and in select stores at Walmart. The products will be launched at a later date on Amazon and Target.

A new popcorn is joining the General Mills family.

Trix Popcorn is the latest launch from the company, which is a crunchy popcorn snack that contains a Trix-flavored fruity glaze along with bits of the cereal, the company said.

Inspired by other cereal and popcorn snack flavors that have been released, including Cinnamon Toast Crunch popcorn with Cinnadust Glaze and Cocoa Puffs popcorn with Cocoa Glaze, the snack features a balance of sweet and salty notes.

Consumers currently can find Trix Popcorn available at Sam’s Club in a 20-oz. bag that retails for $6.48 and in a 7-oz. bag that will retail for $3.69 at Walmart beginning in October.

Glamnetic is showcasing a brand new press-on manicure collection designed for those who prefer a short round nail shape.

The Choose Your Vibe line features eight designs that include Lots of Love, Pretty Picnic, A Good Day, Shroomies, Pure Intentions, Day Trip, Mu Cherie and Hot Dot.

Like all of Glamnetic’s press on, each set in this new collection is reusable, customizable and made with high-quality material that is easy to file or clip and will not bend or split, the company said.

Made to last up to three weeks of wear, the nails are vegan, cruelty-free and topped with a layer of UV coating to achieve a salon-quality finish.

Each nail design retails for $14.99 each and the entire collection is available for $89.94 online.

Sally Hansen is teaming up with Netflix to launch a collection of polishes that will have consumers feeling as if they are in a fantasy novel.

Inspired by the “School for Good & Evil,” premiering on the streaming platform, the Sally Hansen Miracle Gel X Netflix The School for Good & Evil collection was influenced by the young adult novel turned film.

Designed to help consumers achieve a perfect manicure with imaginative shades, Sally Hansen’s Miracle Gel line features color set technology, lasts up to eight days and does not require a UV lamp for application.

Available shades include True Beauty Comes from Within; The Storian; Not What It Gleams; Lovey Dovey; Good is Great; Can’t Settle, Won’t Settle; Fresh Villainy; It’s Better Being Bad; Magic Mirror and Lesso Go.

The Sally Hansen Miracle Gel X Netflix The School for Good & Evil collection will be available in September at mass market, drug store, food and ecommerce retailers nationwide.

Haleon is previewing a new product, which is among the first consumer health product releases since the company’s launch.

Just in time for cold and flu season, this September consumers will be able to pick up Theraflu Flu Relief Max Strength.

Featuring 1,000 mg of acetaminophen, the product offers relief for several common flu symptoms — including fever, body ache, sore throat pain, cough and runny nose — for up to 6 hours and is available in a variety of formulations for all types of lifestyles and preferences, the company said.

Theraflu Flu Relief Max Strength will be available over the counter in September and online in mid-late September.