Retail Clinics

POCATELLO, Idaho Portneuf Medical Center has teamed up with Bellin Health FastCare to operate two retail clinics in Walmart stores in Pocatello and Blackfoot, Idaho, according to a report by the Idaho State Journal.

The partnership, effective as of Sept. 1, will offer treatment for such acute ailments as sore throats, pink eye and allergies. Next month, another FastCare is slated to open in a Walmart in Peru, Ill.

MINNEAPOLIS Preventative health services, such as daily aspirin use, tobacco-cessation screening and alcohol-abuse screening potentially can save 2 million lives and nearly $4 billion annually, according to a new paper produced by the National Commission on Prevention Priorities.

NORTH WALES, Pa. Teva Pharmaceuticals has launched a generic treatment for epileptic seizures.

The world’s largest generic drug maker announced Wednesday the launch of diazepam rectal gel, a generic version of Valeant Pharmaceuticals’ Diastat AcuDial. The drug is administered via rectal syringe and is available in 2.5-mg, 10-mg and 20-mg strengths.

IRVINE, Calif. Allergan's optimized reformulation of Lumigan has received approval from the Food and Drug Administration, the drug maker said Wednesday.

Lumigan 0.01% (bimatoprost ophthalmic solution) is a first-line therapy indicated for the reduction of elevated intraocular pressure with open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension, Allergan said. Lumigan 0.01% will be available in fourth quarter 2010 as the newest addition to Allergan’s comprehensive glaucoma portfolio.

MINNEAPOLIS Target is looking to open eight new Target Clinic locations in Chicago and Palm Beach, Fla., in September.

Target currently has 28 clinics in Minnesota and Maryland, according to the website. The healthcare services in Minnesota and Maryland are provided by Target Clinic Medical Associates, an unaffiliated corporation not owned or operated by Target Corp. Fees for most services range from $59 to $69.

SAN DIEGO Improving medication adherence will require bringing multiple methods together in order to be successful, Pharmacy Quality Alliance senior director for research and performance measurement David Nau said Tuesday in an education session at the National Association of Chain Drug Stores’ Pharmacy and Technology Conference in San Diego.

“You need to have a multifaceted strategy around adherence if you want to have an impact on adherence,” Nau said.

SILVER SPRING, Md. The Food and Drug Administration last week issued an information packet in preparation for a Sept. 14 advisory committee meeting that will address the potential abuse of dextromethorphan products and whether restrictions should be placed on the sale of those over-the-counter cough medicines.

Members of both the FDA Drug Safety and Risk Management Advisory Committee and the FDA Nonprescription Drugs Advisory Committee will be in attendance at the public meeting.

SAN DIEGO Comparing the situation with a hypothetical B-movie about a whale eating New York, Harvard University economics professor David Cutler showed a chart describing the fiscal collision course the United States could be on if it doesn’t successfully tackle healthcare costs.