News Briefs

The Compliance Team, a CMS-approved national healthcare accreditation organization, announced today that the Austin Public Health department of Austin, Texas has become the nation’s first health department recipient of the firm’s Exemplary Provider Certification program for Immunization and Testing Services.

Sandra Canally,  The Compliance Team’s founder and CEO, said that TCT’s certification programs embrace the ideal that “every patient deserves exemplary care. There is no better example of this being an everyday practice than the Austin Public Health department’s immunization services and their unified approach to health equity. They are truly outstanding.”

The Austin Public Health Immunizations Program is the safety net provider for the uninsured. It offers adult and pediatric immunization services and has two clinic locations, Far South Austin clinic at 405 West Stassney Lane and North Austin St. John clinic at 7500 Blessing Avenue.

Chris Crookham, APH’s immunizations program manager, said the organization wanted an independent assessment of its immunizations program to help them better plan for future events like the COVID-19 public health emergency. “We say we’re good, but I wanted a nationally recognized third party to tell our community how exceptional we are. And now we are recognized as an Exemplary Provider by The Compliance Team,” he said.

TCT’s service-specific certification programs are intended to be utilized by local health departments, pharmacies, physician practices and clinics to ensure that their facilities meet comprehensive quality, safety and efficiency standards covering CDC protocols, manufacturer’s guidelines, vaccine storage, infection control, needle safety and drug interaction, as well as patient scheduling, history and follow-up. Comprehensive, yet simplified, operations-based protocols help empower employees to better deal with everyday workplace challenges, the company said.

Blue Bunny is bringing the taste of soft serve right to consumers’ homes.

The Chicago-based company is unveiling its new Twist Cones, which come in three classic flavors inspired by soft frozen dairy twisted all the way to the bottom and ending with a chocolatey bite in each cone, according to the brand.

“We’re super excited to launch this disruptive innovation bringing the fun of soft serve into homes across America, and the response has been outstanding. Eight-eighty percent of consumers who tried our Twist Cones found them to be different from other cones available at stores today,” said Jeremy Hrynewycz, brand director at Blue Bunny. “We love bringing the fun of Blue Bunny to consumers' homes in new and innovative ways, and Twist Cones are this summer’s newest addition to our all-star lineup of frozen treats the whole family can enjoy.”

Available in chocolate vanilla, strawberry cheesecake and chocolate peanut butter flavors, Blue Bunny’s Twist Cones can be found online at bluebunny.com.

Enlightened is expanding upon its feel-good dessert line with a brand-new collection of products.

The brand is expanding its frozen mini cheesecake line with new Greek Yogurt Cheesecakes, which furthers its mission to create craveable desserts with better nutrition, the company said.

“We’re so excited to build upon our existing cheesecake line with the addition of Greek yogurt, a key ingredient also included in two of our new Sundae Cone flavors,” Enlightened CEO and founder Michael Shoretz said. “Consumers love Greek yogurt for its protein and probiotics. We found that incorporating Greek yogurt adds richness and creaminess to our cheesecakes, and we think it’ll delight our fans.”

Available in two flavors — original and dark chocolate — the cheesecakes, which were inspired by New York City-style cheesecakes, features a graham cracker crust and a dollop of whipped cream.

Packaged in a box with two mini cheesecakes that retails for $5.99, Enlightened’s Greek Yogurt Cheesecakes are available online at EatEnlightened.com and at Lowes Foods, United Supermarkets, Food City and H-E-B.

Nature’s Truth is rolling out several new gummy vitamins for adults.

The latest launches from the Ronkonkoma, N.Y.-based company are the Magnesium Gummies, Beet Root Gummies, Ceylon Cinnamon Gummies and D3 + B12 Gummies.

“Our primary focus when developing our gummy supplements is on taste, and efficacy,” said Kimberly Vigliante, senior vice president of sales and marketing at Piping Rock Health Products. “It’s important to us that we provide our customers with the best-tasting product without sacrificing quality and that we develop unique gummy offerings that align with the latest consumer trends.”

Made to offer enhanced absorption, the Magnesium Gummies also contain a flavor experience. The Ceylon Cinnamon Gummies are sugar-free, the Beet Root Gummies come in a strawberry flavor and the D3 + B12 Gummies also come in a strawberry flavor, the company said.

Nature’s Truth’s new gummy vitamins, which are vegan or vegetarian, non-GMO and gluten free, can be found online at NaturesTruth.com.

ANI is welcoming Renee Tannenbaum to its board of directors. Tannenbaum has over 35 years of management experience in the pharmaceutical industry. This appointment is effective immediately and increases ANI’s board of directors to nine members.

“We are honored to bring Dr. Tannenbaum’s vast biopharmaceutical commercial experience and expertise to our board of directors. With her many accomplishments and proven track record of developing and implementing innovative commercial strategies, and driving growth, Dr. Tannenbaum will be a great asset to the company, especially as we move forward with our commercialization of Purified Cortrophin Gel,” Patrick Walsh, chairman of the board of ANI, said.

“I am thrilled to join the board of directors at this pivotal point in ANI’s trajectory,” Tannenbaum said. “With the Novitium acquisition completed and the launch of Cortrophin Gel underway, the company has many exciting years ahead, and I look forward to providing my perspectives to management along the way,”

Tannenbaum is a strategic advisor for several biopharmaceutical and device companies, and serves on the Cardiff Oncology board of directors and as a board advisor to Aerami Therapeutics. She was previously vice president of global partnering at Halozyme and head of global customer excellence at AbbVie, where she was responsible for building commercial capabilities for the organization.

Tannenbaum also served as president of Myrtle Potter & Company, a global life sciences consulting and advisory firm, and as executive vice president and chief commercial officer at Elan Pharmaceuticals, where she was responsible for, among other things, revenue generation for Elan’s marketed products, preparing for the commercialization of the company’s pipeline and strengthening its overall commercial capabilities. Prior to her role at Elan, Tannenbaum was at Novartis Pharma AG, where she led the global commercial operations organization. She also spent nine years at Bristol Myers Squibb and 16 years at Merck, where she had a variety of leadership positions.

Tannenbaum, who previously served on the boards of Zogenix, Nordic Nanovector ASA, Cipher Pharmaceuticals, Sharps Compliance and Immune Pharmaceuticals, retains a faculty position at the University of the Sciences’ Mayes College of Healthcare Business and Policy. Tannenbaum received her doctor of pharmacy degree from the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and Sciences, her MBA from Temple University and her bachelor of science degree in pharmacy from the University of Connecticut.

Alembic has acquired the remaining 40% stake in Aleor Dermaceuticals from Orbicular Pharmaceutical Technologies. The company said the acquisition is intended to strengthen its skin-related manufacturing and marketing footprint.

Alembic didn't disclose the financial details of the acquisition.

Aleor has product offerings across cream, gel, ointment, shampoo and lotion.

The board of directors of Aleor has been reconstituted with Orbicular nominees resigning from the board, and has approved the merger of Aleor with Alembic.

The amalgamation will integrate business operations and provide impetus to the existing portfolio of Alembic, the company said.

“This will further bolster our global reach with cutting-edge research and development in the derma space and enhance our integrated dermatology platform with a comprehensive collection of scientifically-proven products for daily skincare regimens and peri-procedural use,” said Pranav Amin, managing director of Alembic.

According to IQVIA, the dermatology market is forecasted to grow by double digits.

“We thank Alembic for the enriching partnership and now Orbicular would bolster its development capabilities independently in advancing several interesting and exciting opportunities in complex products,” MS Mohan, managing director of Orbicular, said.