News Briefs

Amazon is reportedly investing in ultra-fast delivery, which could come with fees, as it also tries to cut expenses, according to a Wall Street Journal report.

The report also noted that Amazon is continuing to allocate resources to facilities and services designed to deliver packages to customers in less than a day.

A critical part of Amazon’s ultra-fast delivery strategy is its network of warehouses, dubbed same-day sites, which are a fraction of the size of its large fulfillment warehouses and are designed to prepare products for immediate delivery, the report said.

Unlike Amazon's large warehouses, these smaller warehouses typically rely on delivery stations closer to customers for the final stage of shipping.

Amazon has opened about 45 of the smaller sites since 2019 and could expand to at least 150 centers in the next several years, the report said, citing MWPVL International, which tracks Amazon warehouse operations.

The sites are mainly open near large cities and deliver the most popular 100,000 items in Amazon’s catalog, the report said, again citing MWPVL. Recently opened sites include Los Angeles, San Francisco and Phoenix. 

Amazon's latest move comes as rivals Walmart and Instacart also provide quick shipping options to customers. The report pointed out that Walmart has used its thousands of stores to help fulfill fast online orders.

Hum Nutrition is looking to provide PMS symptom relief with its new SOS PMS Gummies line.

Formulated with chasteberry to help support healthy hormonal balance, the gummies also contain cranberry for urinary tract health, and vitamin B6 to aid in supporting overall mood, the company said.

“Our customers were looking for an easy-to-take solution for PMS symptoms, so in continuation of our commitment to women's health, we formulated the first vegan gummy to contain clinical levels of standardized chasteberry extract that delivers on both taste and efficacy,” said Hum Nutrition’s head of scientific affairs and education, Dr. Jennifer Martin-Biggers. “This ingredient has been shown to help manage PMS symptoms in clinical studies.”

Currently, Hum Nutrition’s SOS PMS Gummies retail for $26 and can be purchased online.

Honey Bunches of Oats is catering to consumers who are constantly on the go with its new Granola Chips.

Designed to deliver sweetness and texture with each bite, the snacks can be dipped in nut butter, topped with fruit or crumbled into yogurt, the company said.

Available in two varieties — honey roasted and blueberry — Honey Bunches of Oats Granola Chips comes in a resealable bag that can be found at major mass grocery retailers nationwide for a suggested retail price of $3.48.

In response to a Matrix Global Advisors report, titled, "Near-Term Expectations for Adalimumab biosimilars in the United States," authored by Alex Brill and Christy Robinson, the Association for Accessible Medicines' Biosimilars Council division has issued the following statement from its executive director, Craig Burton: 

“This new report from Matrix Global Advisors illustrates the complexities of the burgeoning adalimumab biosimilar market. While biosimilars bring much needed competition and reduce overall costs, perverse rebate practices and other market factors will unnecessarily slow patient access and savings from FDA-approved biosimilars. Policymakers should ensure that patients have access to and benefit from lower-priced biosimilars.”

Read the full report here.

Hostess Brands has launched a new snack cake meets candy bar treat.

Kazbars features a soft layer of chocolate cake, crème, candy crunch, caramel or smooth chocolate fudge. Each bar is covered in a rich chocolate-flavored coating and topped with a drizzle.

Available in chocolate caramel and triple chocolate flavors, Kazbars come in two sizes.

“We know that consumers are craving multitextured snacks – and the variety of creamy, crunchy and rich layers in our new Kazbars will make every snacking experience a more joy-filled one,” says Christopher Balach, general manager of Hostess Brands. “This new kind of snack delivers the familiar, moist Hostess cake consumers know and love with a new, delicious fusion of layers and textures. The snack has performed strongly with consumers throughout product-testing and we're excited to see that translate in the marketplace.”

Consumers can find Hostess’ new Kazbars in 10-oz. boxes that contain 8 individually wrapped mini bars and a 2.75-oz. size at grocery, mass retailers and convenience stores.

There’s a new product collection from Nexxus that is spotlighting hair breakage by providing an elevated solution.

The Unbreakable Care line, which is free of sulfates and suitable for all textures and chemically treated hair, looks to address the underlying causes of hair loss due to breakage, the company said.

Made with a Proteinfusion blend that contains advanced regenerative keratin protein, the product range consists of three products — Anti-Break Shampoo, Thickening Conditioner and Root Lifting Thickening Spray.

Products part of Nexxus’ Unbreakable Care line retail for $15.99 each and can be found at Target.com.