CVS.COM ADDS WEBSITE FOR BLADDER PROBLEMS

STEPHANIE LOUGHRAN

WOONSOCKET, R.I. -- CVS.com, based here, launched a website clinic on Feb. 8 that specializes in guidance and resources for people who suffer with overactive bladder.

This is one of the latest health conditions that CVS.com features on its website. Information dedicated to other conditions include arthritis, heartburn, and diabetes. The drugstore chain partnered with Pharmacia, Peapack, N.J., the pharmaceutical company that produces Detrol, a drug therapy that treats overactive bladder.

"The CVS.com Overactive Bladder Clinic offers visitors the opportunity to learn more about a prevalent and potentially embarrassing health condition through the privacy and convenience of the Internet," said Doug Callihan, R.Ph, president and chief executive officer of CVS.com, in a written statement.

The new website guides patients regarding their symptoms, how the condition impacts their daily lives, and it provides a question and answer section by registered pharmacist, Gayla Waller, R.Ph.

CVS spokesperson Mike DeAngelis said, "This is another way we can provide health content for our customers." He said overactive bladder condition is one that customers wanted to learn more about.

Kathie Schoff, consultant for Pharmacia's public relations firm, Management Communications Services, Bedminster, N.J., said overactive bladder condition is important to learn more about, because it is so common.

"It's a condition that affects one in five people over the age of 45, and it disrupts quality of life," she said.