Content about Business Relation

WOONSOCKET, R.I. and CHARLOTTE, N.C. — CVS Caremark’s MinuteClinic has entered a clinical affiliation with Carolinas HealthCare System, which provides medical services at more than 650 care locations in North and South Carolina. The collaboration includes 16 MinuteClinic locations in the greater Charlotte area.

This marks the first such arrangement in North Carolina for the two organizations.

SAN DIEGO — Diplomat Specialty Pharmacy has signed an agreement with a provider of acquisition and management services for oral cancer drugs that the companies said would allow for better access to the drugs and related programs.

RainTree Oncology Services announced the agreement with Flint, Mich.-based Diplomat, saying it was building a network of community oncologists through which members will obtain drugs at contracted prices and that the agreement would improve access to clinical and medication management programs.

FORT WASHINGTON, Pa. — Adflow Health Networks is planning to provide biometric screening kiosks in Rite Aid stores, the company said.

The two companies have signed an agreement whereby Adflow will install its Personal Health Centers in all of the retailer's nearly 4,700 stores around the country. The kiosks measure blood pressure and also customize the user's experience based on screen views, tests taken, test results, historical results, age and gender and other data sets.

NEW YORK — Facebook wars happen all the time, but it's not often that drug manufacturers duke it out online.

NEW YORK — When its blockbuster cholesterol drug Lipitor loses patent protection this month, Pfizer is hoping that pharmacy benefit managers will not dispense a generic version of the drug to its customers, according to published reports.

Pharmacy benefit managers Medco and Catalyst have agreed to block generic versions of Lipitor from reaching their customers until the end of May 2012, according to Bloomberg. Additionally, the company reportedly is in talks with Express Scripts to have the PBM also block generic versions from reaching customers as well.

DEERFIELD, Ill. — In an 8-K filing earlier this week, Walgreens broke down its Express Scripts business and challenged many assertions that have been made regarding contract negotiations with Express Scripts. The overarching theme of the filing suggested Express Scripts has little to gain without Walgreens within the pharmacy network fold but much to lose.

WASHINGTON — At a press conference organized by the Preserve Community Pharmacy Access NOW! coalition at the Capitol on Thursday morning, the National Community Pharmacists Association's CEO Douglas Hoey issued a statement regarding the proposed merger of pharmacy benefit managers Express Scripts and Medco Health Solutions, saying the deal could mean "more wasteful mail-order spending and higher price spikes for specialty drugs."

FOSTER CITY, Calif. — Drug makers Bristol-Myers Squibb and Gilead Sciences announced an agreement to develop and commercialize a fixed-dose combination treatment for patients with HIV.

The two companies said the drug will combine Bristol's Reyataz (atazanavir sulfate) and Gilead's boosting agent cobicistat, which is designed to increase blood levels of certain HIV medicines to potentially allow for one-pill, once-daily dosing. Gilead is currently studying Reyataz and cobicistat in phase-2 and phase-3 trials.

FOSTER CITY, Calif., and INGELHEIM, Germany — Gilead Sciences has signed an agreement with Boehringer Ingelheim to gain exclusive worldwide rights to research, develop and commercialize BI's novel anti-retroviral compounds.

Under the terms of the agreement, Gilead will pay the German drug maker an upfront payment and possibly will receive additional payments based upon the achievement of certain development, regulatory and commercial milestones, as well as royalties on future net sales, the companies said.

HARTFORD, Conn. — CVS/pharmacy has teamed up with Aetna to offer Medicare beneficiaries a co-branded prescription drug plan.

The companies said the new Aetna CVS/pharmacy Prescription Drug Plan will be made available to beneficiaries in 43 states and Washington, D.C. The plan offers a $26 monthly plan premium and has no deductible for generic drugs. In addition, members will have the following benefits when they fill their prescriptions at a CVS/pharmacy (compared with a nonpreferred network pharmacy):

NEW YORK — The offering period for Pfizer's acquisition of Icagen has expired, allowing the former to purchase more than 5 million shares in the company, Pfizer said.

Pfizer said that as of Monday, 5.4 million shares of Icagen had been put up for sale. Along with the 1.1 million shares Pfizer already owns, this would give it control of 70.2% of Icagen, which develops drugs for pain and other conditions. Pfizer plans to acquire the remaining shares as well.