Retail Clinics

FOSTER CITY, Calif. — Gilead on Friday announced that the Food and Drug Administration has removed a boxed warning about a possible liver injury risk caused by the drug maker's hypertension treatment.

Gilead said the FDA approved a change to the prescribing information for Letairis (ambrisentan 5-mg and 10-mg tablets), the company’s once-daily treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension.

With pharmacists across the country now able to administer vaccinations, the Department of Health and Human Services’ plan came at just the right time.

FERNDALE, Wash. — Wellesse earlier this week introduced its Digestive 3-in-1 Health, a liquid supplement that promotes healthy digestion and regularity, soothes the stomach and helps the body resist occasional imbalance.

"Most people who indulge pay for it with uncomfortable, embarrassing or even tiring digestive symptoms on a regular basis," stated registered dietitian Marie Spano, speaking on behalf of Wellesse.

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — A subsidiary of Endo Pharmaceuticals has won approval from the Food and Drug Administration for an oral contraceptive.

Qualitest Pharmaceuticals announced Friday the approval of Emoquette (desogestrel and ethinyl estradiol) tablets in the 0.15-mg/0.03-mg strength.

The drug is a generic version of Johnson & Johnson’s Ortho-Cept.

NEW YORK — The Manhattan Institute has come up with a novel idea to help New York state slash its healthcare costs by a hefty $350 million by 2020: Expand access to retail health clinics.

Sounds simple enough, right? Think again.

WOONSOCKET, R.I. — MinuteClinic announced that it is offering spring sports physicals at its facilities across the country to make it easier and more affordable for children and teenagers to head to the field and participate in organized sports.

Beginning March 1 to 31, MinuteClinic will offer the pre-participation physicals, which are required by many states, school systems and athletic leagues. MinuteClinic nurse practitioners and physician assistants will offer the exams seven days a week, including weekday evenings. No appointment is necessary.

PASADENA, Calif. — Long-term use of a class of drugs used to control pain could increase the risk of erectile dysfunction in men, according to a new study.

The study, sponsored by Kaiser Permanente and published online in the Journal of Urology, found that men who took nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDs, three times a day for more than three months were 2.4 times as likely to have erectile dysfunction as men who didn’t take the drugs regularly. The study used data from 80,966 men ages 45 to 69 years in California.

SAN DIEGO — The nurse practitioner-staffed retail clinic concept has sparked a revolution in health care, and now even physicians are re-examining the model to find new ways to create value and improve healthcare delivery.