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  • Q&A: Life after the NCPA

    After a distinguished, eight-and-a-half-year tenure as chief of the National Community Pharmacists Association, Bruce Roberts, independent pharmacy’s toughest champion, retired June 25 as NCPA’s EVP and CEO. He now is president and CEO of Benecard Services, a small pharmacy benefit manager and prescription benefit facilitator firm founded by pharmacist Richard Ullman. Roberts, a longtime former independent pharmacy owner in Leesburg, Va., brought energy and passion to his role and helped spur a resurgence, both for the organization and independent pharmacy.

  • FDA clarifies position on low blood pressure drug

    PHILADELPHIA The Food and Drug Administration did not completely withdraw from the market a drug used to treat a dangerous low blood pressure condition, but merely proposed to do so as a “step in the regulatory process,” according to a document posted on the agency’s website Monday.

    The agency said its proposal last month to withdraw approval for Shire’s drug ProAmatine (midodrine) did not represent the actual withdrawal of the drug from the market, while calling for more data on the drug to verify its clinical benefit.

     

  • Generic versions of Copaxone hit roadblock

    NEW YORK Efforts by two generic drug makers to market a generic version of a drug for multiple sclerosis hit an obstacle this week in a U.S. District Court.

     

    The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York denied a motion for summary judgment filed by Sandoz and Momenta Pharmaceuticals that patents covering Teva Pharmaceutical Industries’ drug Copaxone (glatiramer acetate) are invalid due to indefiniteness.

     

     

  • PhRMA: Drug, vaccine development for infectious diseases grows

    BOSTON Close to 400 drugs and vaccines are in development for fighting infectious diseases, according to one of the pharmaceutical industry’s largest lobbying groups.

     

    The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America announced Friday that drug makers have 395 new medicines and vaccines in clinical development or under review by the Food and Drug Administration. These include five vaccines and six drugs for malaria, as well as agents for infections like cholera, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and the Ebola virus.

     

  • Active phone prompts spur Rx adherence rates among consumers, CVS reveals

    WOONSOCKET, R.I. Consumers are much more likely to adhere to their prescription medication therapy if given “a clear and active choice” in recorded telephone prompts from their pharmacy, new research into patient compliance from CVS Caremark demonstrated.

     

  • FDA approves expanded use of Saphris

    WHITEHOUSE STATION, N.J. Merck's supplemental drug applications for its atypical antipsychotic received approval from the Food and Drug Administration, the drug maker said.

    Saphris now is indicated for the treatment of schizophrenia in adults, as monotherapy for the acute treatment of manic or mixed episodes associated with bipolar I disorder in adults, and as adjunctive therapy with either lithium or valproate for the acute treatment of manic or mixed episodes associated with bipolar I disorder in adults, Merck said.

  • Abbott acquires Piramal's Healthcare Solutions business

    ABBOTT PARK, Ill. Abbott has gained a foothold in the Indian drug market through its acquisition of the Healthcare Solutions business from Piramal, Abbott said.

     

    Abbott announced Wednesday that it had completed its acquisition of the business, saying it would further accelerate its growth in emerging markets, which currently account for more than 20% of its sales. The company expects its pharmaceutical sales in India to be more than $2.5 billion by 2020.

     

     

  • N.C. law enforcement seeks access to pharmacy records to curb Rx abuse

    RALEIGH, N.C. Residents in North Carolina prescribed controlled substances could receive some attention from more than their physicians and pharmacists, according to published reports.

     

  • GSK inks deal with Lonza, announces CFO's exit

    LONDON Swiss drug maker Lonza will help British drug maker GlaxoSmithKline manufacture five biotech drugs in early- and mid-stage clinical trials, the two companies said Wednesday.

     

    Lonza will manufacture clinical trial batches of the drugs, all monoclonal antibodies in phase-1 and phase-2 testing, and provide additional access to manufacturing capacity so GSK can fulfill future demands. The two companies said other details of the agreement remain confidential.

     

     

  • Silenor now available by prescription

    SAN DIEGO Drug maker Somaxon Pharmaceuticals has made its treatment for insomnia available by prescription, the company said Tuesday.

     

    Somaxon announced the availability of Silenor (doxepin), which received approval from the Food and Drug Administration in March as a treatment for insomnia characterized by difficulty with sleep maintenance.

     

     

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