Content about New Year's Day

WASHINGTON — The U.S. News & World Report on Wednesday named the top five "easiest" diets New Year's resolutionists should follow — Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, Mediterranean Diet, Slim Fast and Volumetrics — out of a total field of 25 diet plans.

HOUSTON — It’s the new year, and for many people that means setting a resolution to drop those extra pounds. In an effort to help consumers meet that goal, RediClinic is offering an introductory price for its Weigh Forward weight-loss program.

The exclusive limited-time offer gives patients access to one visit with a specially-trained clinician at RediClinic. The introductory package, priced at $99, also includes:

• Three weeks of meal plans and a selection of recipes;

• Physical exam;

BENTONVILLE, Ark. — To help its members keep their New Year's resolutions, including weight loss, eating better and quitting smoking, Sam's Club will offer a variety of free in-club health screenings and smoking-cessation consultations.

DEERFIELD, Ill. — Walgreens on Wednesday again made its case for keeping its more than 8,000 points of care in the Express Scripts pharmacy network: Excluding Walgreens will not afford Express Scripts' customers any cost savings. Besides, if Walgreens does wind up out of the Express Scripts network at the top of the new year, many of those health plans and employers will start looking for ways to get Walgreens back in network, most likely by switching pharmacy benefit managers at their first opportunity.

CAMP HILL, Pa. — Rite Aid said its pharmacists will be ready to help patients and caregivers choose the prescription drug plan that works best for them as 2012 Medicare Part D open enrollment begins Saturday.

Open enrollment is beginning a month earlier than in previous years so that Medicare administrators can process plan choices before the new year, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

NEW YORK — A new Harris Poll published Tuesday suggested that many doctors are doing little or nothing to help their overweight patients to lose weight.

Using classifications defined by the World Health Organization, 19% of those who are morbidly obese (with a body mass index of 35 or greater), 46% of those who are obese (BMI of between 30 and 34) and 72% who are overweight but not obese (BMI of between 25 and 29), said that their doctors have never told them to lose weight.

WASHINGTON — The Council for Responsible Nutrition on Wednesday released “Roadmap for Retailers: Safely Navigating What You Say About Dietary Supplements,” an educational tool to remind the supplement industry about its responsibilities with regard to the laws and regulations under which supplements are sold.

SCHAUMBURG, Ill. — Nearly half (48%) of Americans between the ages of 45 and 70 years have no financial plans in place to protect themselves against outliving their assets and the rising cost of health care, should they live longer than they expected, according to a survey released last week by the Society of Actuaries.

WASHINGTON — The oldest national organization of pharmacists is making a New Year’s push to encourage Americans to clear out their old and expired medicines.

LANDOVER, Md. — Giant Food is helping customers stick to their New Year's resolutions by emphasizing its product labeling system.

Healthy Ideas, which initially launched in January 2009, identifies healthy options for customers as they shop the aisles, and includes both perishable and nonperishable items, as well as private-label and national brands.

VEVEY, Switzerland — With the new year approaching, Nestlé Health Science S.A. and the Nestlé Institute of Health Sciences — both created to pioneer a new industry between food and pharma — became operational.

Supplier News — Say goodbye to sweat stains with a new pretreatment stain remover from PharmaWorks. PitStop, PharmaWorks’ new innovation, removes stubborn yellow armpit stains by lifting and dissolving sweat-stain deposits, and it even can be used on old stains and rings around shirt collars. PitStop retails for $12.50 for a 12-oz. bottle.