Daily Dose

• Roundy's to buy 20 Aurora Health Care pharmacies
  Roundy's announced it will acquire all pharmacies operated by Aurora Health Care inside Copps and Pick n' Save stores. Roundy's plans to take over operations at 20 store pharmacies next month. American City Business Journals/Milwaukee (10/30)

Health & Wellness

• Study: Diabetes risk lower in newborns whose mothers eat vegetables
  Pregnant women who eat a lot of vegetables are more likely to bear children who are less prone to Type 1 diabetes, researchers have found. "This is the first study to show a link between vegetable intake during pregnancy and the risk of the child subsequently developing Type 1 diabetes, but more studies of various kinds will be needed before we can say anything definitive," one of the researchers said. HealthDay News (10/30)

• High fructose intake increases blood pressure, study finds
  Researchers found in a study of 4,528 adults that consuming more than 74 grams of fructose, or about 2.5 sugary soft drinks, a day increases the risk of hypertension, even among those with no previous history of hypertension. More research is needed to determine if lowering fructose intake could help lower blood pressure, the researchers said. HealthDay News (10/30)

• Chronic stress is linked to consumption of high-fat foods
  Researchers who interviewed more than 600 overweight or obese women found that those with chronic stress are more likely to eat high-fat foods and feel they lack control over their eating and hunger. The chronically stressed were also more likely to try to control their weight through "rigid restraint" techniques such as vowing to avoid certain foods or skipping meals -- strategies that often backfire. USA TODAY (11/1)

Industry News

• WHO panel recommends 1 dose of H1N1 vaccine
  A panel convened by the World Health Organization encouraged health care providers to administer one dose of the H1N1 flu vaccine to as many children as possible before giving a second dose in countries that "want to do a very large campaign in children." However, the WHO's Strategic Advisory Group of Experts said it is up to each country to decide the best dosing strategy for its population. The Washington Post (10/31)

• Takeda, Amylin team up to develop, market obesity drugs
  Takeda Pharmaceutical will pay $75 million upfront to develop and market weight-loss drugs with Amylin Pharmaceuticals in an exclusive worldwide agreement. The deal, which could be worth more than $1 billion, includes Amylin treatments pramlintide/metreleptin and davalintide, which are in midstage trials. Reuters (11/1)

• FDA approves Covidien's generic Actiq
  The FDA approved Covidien's version of Actiq, a pain drug from Cephalon used in cancer patients who do not respond to other drugs. Covidien plans to sell six doses of the drug, fentanyl citrate, early next year. Forbes/The Associated Press (10/30)

• Sanofi-Aventis eyes growth in vaccine business
  Sanofi-Aventis intends to double its vaccine business in the next five years with the aid of its Asian operations and partnerships, CEO Chris Viehbacher told German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. Viehbacher said Sanofi's vaccine unit will post an increase in sales of 15% to 16% if expansion plans push through. Reuters (10/31)

Featured Content

Retail Update

• Raley's CEO leaves post
  Raley's announced its president and CEO, William Coyne, has resigned. Coyne, who joined the company as general counsel and served in various capacities before becoming CEO, will be replaced on an interim basis by Chief Operating Officer Dave Clark. The Sacramento Bee (Calif.) (free registration) (11/2) , Supermarket News (11/2)

Hot Topics

Top five news stories selected by FMI Pharmacy dailyLead readers in the past week.

• President declares H1N1 flu outbreak a national emergency (Yahoo!)

• Walgreen to buy 12 Boston-area pharmacies (Chain Drug Review )

• Winn-Dixie rolls out health insurance cards in Florida (Drug Store News)

• H1N1 now widespread in 46 states (Reuters)

• Legislation would give pharmacists access to IT loans (Healthcare IT News)

• Results based on number of times each story was clicked by readers.

Capital Beat

• HIPAA rule to stiffen privacy, security penalties
  The HHS has released an interim final rule that substantially increases fines for violations of the privacy and security rules of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act as mandated under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act's HITECH Act. The agency has set a Dec. 29 deadline for public comments on the HIPAA rule, which is set to take effect Nov. 30. Health Data Management (10/30) , Modern Healthcare (free registration) (10/30)

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FMI News

• New Models of Social Responsibility
  Companies are increasingly being asked to communicate their organizations' corporate social responsibility (CSR) efforts. Participation is free in a virtual summit examining New Models of Social Responsibility, featuring 25 industry experts. This event is two half-days, Nov. 5 & 9, via Cisco WebEx™ and Cisco TelePresence™. Register at www.communitelligence.com or call 480-816-5550. Learn more by clicking New Models of Social Responsibility.

SmartQuote

Accept the challenges so that you may feel the exhilaration of victory." --George S. Patton Jr., World War II general