Regulatory and Washington

ATLANTA — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's 2012 Tips From Former Smokers campaign helped more than 100,000 Americans likely quit smoking for good, exceeding the original goal of 50,000, the agency announced Wednesday. 

The 2013 Tips campaign generated 150,000 additional calls to quitlines and 2.8 million additional website visits.

BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Walmart is offering prescriptions at no upfront cost to patients who enroll in the public health insurance marketplace, the mass-merchandise retailer said.

NEW YORK — The number of new drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration fell by more than 30% in 2013 compared with 2012, according to agency records.

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — PureCircle, a producer and marketer of stevia, announced that the Food and Drug Administration has approved PureCircle's Rebaudioside M (Reb M) as a general purpose sweetener for foods and beverages in the United States. 

SILVER SPRING, Md. — The Food and Drug Administration is cracking down on companies claiming their products can speed recovery from concussions, according to a consumer update posted Wednesday. 

CINCINNATI — The Kroger Co. has joined the list of retailers offering supplies of prescription drugs at no upfront cost to customers who have enrolled in the health insurance marketplaces, but have yet to receive an identification number.

The company announced Thursday that it would offer up to a 30-day supply of certain prescription drugs to customers who provide confirmation of their enrollment at one of the retailer's pharmacies.

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — The Food and Drug Administration has declined to approve a drug made by Genzyme Corp. for certain forms of multiple sclerosis, the company said Monday.

BOSTON — The owners of the compounding pharmacy linked to a nationwide meningitis outbreak that has killed dozens and sickened hundreds have agreed to set up a fund of more than $100 million to compensate victims and creditors.

Legal firm Brown Rudnick announced that the owners of the New England Compounding Center had reached a settlement with bankruptcy trustee Paul Moore, its creditors and the victims to set up the fund, money from which will be distributed to creditors as well as victims who received injections of tainted steroids from NECC.