Content about Business Relation

HAYWARD, Calif. — Two generic drug makers have settled with a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson and another company concerning a drug used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Impax Labs and Teva Pharmaceuticals USA had settled a patent infringement suit with Janssen Pharmaceuticals and Alza over Concerta (methylphenidate hydrochloride) extended-release tablets in the 18-mg, 27-mg, 36-mg and 54-mg strengths.

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — A drug maker and medical research institute will work together to identify new treatments for bacterial and viral infections.

AstraZeneca and the Broad Institute, owned jointly by Harvard University and MIT, announced Monday that they would collaborate for two years to develop medicines to treat severe infections, saying the identification of high-quality chemicals for the development of new drugs was a significant challenge. The two will use the Broad Institute's collection of 100,000 chemicals known as diversity-oriented synthesis, or DOS compounds.

PALO ALTO, Calif. — Shopkick, a shopping application that rewards shoppers for walking into stores and interacting with products, has teamed up with CVS/pharmacy to roll out a first-ever offering of walk-in and other rewards at a retail pharmacy, Shopkick announced on Tuesday.

The program kicks off with a special offer, kicking $5 back to shoppers who visit participating CVS/pharmacy locations with the Shopkick app. 



PITTSBURGH — Mylan and Gilead Sciences have made an agreement under which Mylan will have rights to produce and market generic versions of Gilead drugs for HIV and AIDS in developing countries.

The agreement, involving Gilead and Mylan subsidiary Mylan Labs Ltd., centers around drugs containing emtricitabine, the active ingredient in such drugs as Emtriva, and such fixed-dose combinations as Truvada (emtricitabine and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate) and the experimental Quad.

WOONSOCKET, R.I. — CVS Caremark Charitable Trust has teamed up with the National Association of Community Health Centers through a $3 million multiyear partnership.

The charitable arm of CVS Caremark said that beginning next year, the "Innovations in Community Health" program will make grants available to community health centers across the country to support the development of innovative, community-based programs and initiatives to manage chronic diseases. Funding through the grant program will support a variety of programs, including:

WHAT IT MEANS AND WHY IT'S IMPORTANT — Narrow networks. They're all the rage. If nothing else, narrow pharmacy benefit management networks emphasize local; and one analysis thread common among all the pundits discussing Walgreens' recent acquisition of USA Drug is that Walgreens just got a whole lot more local across the Southeast.

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. — AstraZeneca and Rigel Pharmaceuticals have entered an exclusive worldwide license agreement for the global development and commercialization of an investigational treatment for moderate to severe chronic asthma.

WOONSOCKET, R.I., and MORRISTOWN, N.J. — CVS Caremark’s MinuteClinic has formed a clinical affiliation with Atlantic Health System, one of the largest nonprofit healthcare systems in New Jersey — comprised of Morristown Medical Center, Goryeb Children's Hospital, Overlook Medical Center in Summit, N.J., and Newton Medical Center — to enhance access to healthcare services in northern and central New Jersey.

MALVERN, Pa. — The U.S. subsidiary of British drug maker GlaxoSmithKline and U.S.-based Auxilium Pharmaceuticals will co-promote a testosterone-replacement drug, the two said Monday.

GSK and Auxilium announced an agreement for the co-promotion of Testim 1% (testosterone gel), used in men with conditions related to deficiency or absence of the hormone.

PHOENIX — Shadow Beverages and GNC on Thursday launched a ready-to-drink GNC beverage line now available across Arizona and Nevada store locations.

The new GNC line consists of 14 beverages featuring scientifically advanced nutrition across the sports nutrition, nutritional waters and protein nutrition categories. It includes "extreme performance" drinks designed for the experienced athlete and "active" beverages formulated to meet the hydration and metabolic needs of everyday fitness enthusiasts.
 

Several health-and-wellness programs targeting professional drivers have been gaining traction in the past few months. And for the consumer packaged goods industry, professional drivers represent a crucial cog in the whole supply chain. But it’s a cog that happens to be heavily indexed across many chronic disease states (e.g., obesity, diabetes, heart health) — and for a simple reason. There just aren’t that many healthy choices for those drivers putting the hammer down on the big road.


MINNETONKA, Minn. — A Supervalu banner announced that it will offer patients access to a program created by UnitedHealth Group's Diabetes Prevention and Control Alliance.