Content about Pharmaceutical sciences

March 14, 2011
PTCB's CREST Summit emphasized pharmacy's role in health care

By 2015, “pharmacists will be the healthcare professionals responsible for providing patient care that ensures optimal medication therapy outcomes.” That was the consensus reached in the Joint Commission of Pharmacy Practitioners' vision statement at the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board’s Consumer Awareness, Resources, Education, State Policy and Testing Summit last month.

WASHINGTON — By 2015, “pharmacists will be the healthcare professionals responsible for providing patient care that ensures optimal medication therapy outcomes.” That was the consensus reached in the Joint Commission of Pharmacy Practitioners' vision statement at the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board’s Consumer Awareness, Resources, Education, State Policy and Testing Summit last month.

March 14, 2011
Rite Aid implements medication disposal program

Rite Aid is working with Sharps Compliance to help customers dispose of unused medications, the retailer said Monday.

CAMP HILL, Pa. — Rite Aid is working with Sharps Compliance to help customers dispose of unused medications, the retailer said Monday.

Customers can buy a Sharps Compliance medication-disposal envelope at a Rite Aid store for $3.99, place unused prescriptions or over-the-counter drugs inside and then send it via the U.S. Postal Service to the incinerator.

March 14, 2011
TV program reveals harsh reality of drug counterfeiting

Sugar and chalk. That’s what Pfizer researchers found in a pill that was supposed to be Cytotec but was, in fact, a crude knock-off seized from a counterfeit drug lab in Peru. The "60 Minutes" segment came as no surprise to Drug Store News, which has argued for many years that drug counterfeiting is the key reason lawmakers need to forget the recurring pipe dream they share that rogue Internet sites and drug reimportation is a legitimate solution to rising healthcare costs.

WHAT IT MEANS AND WHY IT’S IMPORTANT — Sugar and chalk. That’s what Pfizer researchers found in a pill that was supposed to be Cytotec but was, in fact, a crude knock-off seized from a counterfeit drug lab in Peru.

(THE NEWS: '60 Minutes' examines drug counterfeit problem. For the full story, click here)

March 11, 2011
GSK develops community pharmacy team

GlaxoSmithKline said it is establishing a dedicated team to support community pharmacists and other healthcare professionals.

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. — GlaxoSmithKline said it is establishing a dedicated team to support community pharmacists and other healthcare professionals.

Effective March 28, GSK said its community pharmacy liaisons will provide information and tools to help community pharmacists communicate with their patients about chronic diseases and the appropriate use of medicines and vaccines.

March 10, 2011
CRN participates in DSN's Pharmacist Society

The Council for Responsible Nutrition announced a partnership with Drug Store News to provide content about the dietary supplement industry to thousands of pharmacists participating in the media company’s new professional networking website.

WASHINGTON — The Council for Responsible Nutrition announced a partnership with Drug Store News to provide content about the dietary supplement industry to thousands of pharmacists participating in the media company’s new professional networking website.

March 10, 2011
FDA backs NCL's medication adherence campaign

The Food and Drug Administration is putting its weight behind a campaign by the National Consumers League to combat poor medication adherence.

SILVER SPRING, Md. — The Food and Drug Administration is putting its weight behind a campaign by the National Consumers League to combat poor medication adherence.

March 9, 2011
Lilly head continues call for medical innovation

Eli Lilly leader John Lechleiter has become something of an evangelist for medical innovation lately. On Wednesday, the Lilly chairman, president and CEO spoke to the U.S./Japan Business Council in Tokyo to call for changes and policies in the biopharmaceutical industry that encourage innovation, or “reinventing invention,” as he called it.

TOKYO — Eli Lilly leader John Lechleiter has become something of an evangelist for medical innovation lately.

On Wednesday, the Lilly chairman, president and CEO spoke to the U.S./Japan Business Council in Tokyo to call for changes and policies in the biopharmaceutical industry that encourage innovation, or “reinventing invention,” as he called it.

March 9, 2011
Purdue offers grant to fund Fla. Rx monitoring program

Drug maker Purdue Pharma is giving a $1 million grant to the state of Florida to help fund the state’s prescription drug monitoring program, the company said Wednesday.

STAMFORD, Conn. — Drug maker Purdue Pharma is giving a $1 million grant to the state of Florida to help fund the state’s prescription drug monitoring program, the company said Wednesday.

Purdue said the program was designed to combat illegal diversion and abuse of prescription drugs. Purdue is the maker of OxyContin (oxycodone), an extended-release opioid painkiller that often is a target of abuse.

March 3, 2011
February flu benefit not as big as billed for Walgreens

Walgreens on Thursday posted sales growth of 8.7% to $18.5 billion for its second quarter ended Feb. 28.

DEERFIELD, Ill. — Walgreens on Thursday posted sales growth of 8.7% to $18.5 billion for its second quarter ended Feb. 28.

Comparable-store sales were up 4%, with a 4% increase across front-end same-store sales. Prescriptions filled grew by 4.5%; quarterly same-store pharmacy sales were not provided.

March 3, 2011
NACDS responds to reimportation legislation

In a letter penned Thursday by the National Association of Chain Drug Stores to Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, the association stated that while it shares the goal of reducing prescription drug costs, authorizing the reimportation of prescription medications — as sought in S.319, the Pharmaceutical Market Access and Drug Safety Act of 2011 — raises concerns about patient health and safety.

ALEXANDRI, Va. — In a letter penned Thursday by the National Association of Chain Drug Stores to Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, the association stated that while it shares the goal of reducing prescription drug costs, authorizing the reimportation of prescription medications — as sought in S.319, the Pharmaceutical Market Access and Drug Safety Act of 2011 — raises concerns about patient health and safety.

March 3, 2011
PCMA leader honored by GPhA

The head of a group representing the nation's pharmacy benefit managers got honors from the Generic Pharmaceutical Association.

WASHINGTON — The head of a group representing the nation's pharmacy benefit managers got honors from the Generic Pharmaceutical Association.

The Pharmaceutical Care Management Association announced Thursday that president and CEO Mark Merritt had received the GPhA’s Outstanding Contribution Award at the generic drug industry group’s annual meeting in Orlando, Fla. The organization has advocated increased generic drug utilization and found common cause with the generics industry in its support for follow-on biologics.

March 2, 2011
Assured Pharmacy's same-store sales increase

Assured Pharmacy on Wednesday reported that its same-store sales during the month of December rose more than 12% from the year-ago period.

FRISCO, Texas — Assured Pharmacy on Wednesday reported that its same-store sales during the month of December rose more than 12% from the year-ago period.

The specialty pharmacy operator said that same-store sales totaled $1.5 million (or $70,464 per business day), compared with $1.3 million ($62,714 per business day) in December 2009, a 12.4% increase.

The company also announced that it reached the 10,000 prescriptions filled milestone for the first time during the month.

March 1, 2011
Amid shortage, Walgreens compounds Tamiflu

Walgreens said its pharmacies are prepared to compound Tamiflu capsules into liquid form as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported widespread flu activity in the United States.

DEERFIELD, Ill. — Walgreens said its pharmacies are prepared to compound Tamiflu capsules into liquid form after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported widespread flu activity in the United States.

The drug store chain said it is addressing the demand for liquid Tamiflu for children, which has resulted in a shortage of the flu-fighting drug.

March 1, 2011
Study: Physicians more likely to prescribe Rxs with adherence incentives

Physicians are 30% more likely to prescribe a drug that gives patients incentives to remain adherent to it than they are to prescribe a drug without such a program, according to a new survey.

NEW YORK — Physicians are 30% more likely to prescribe a drug that gives patients incentives to remain adherent to it than they are to prescribe a drug without such a program, according to a new survey.

The survey of 100 doctors, sponsored by HealthPrize Technologies and conducted by pharmaceutical marketing firm HealthcarePanel.org, also found 89% of doctors were comfortable with the idea of rewarding patients for adherence, along with using education.

February 25, 2011
PhRMA: More than 400 rare disease treatments in development, pending approval

More than 400 drugs are in late-stage clinical development or awaiting Food and Drug Administration approval as treatments for rare diseases, according to a report by the drug industry lobby.

WASHINGTON — More than 400 drugs are in late-stage clinical development or awaiting Food and Drug Administration approval as treatments for rare diseases, according to a report by the drug industry lobby.

February 24, 2011
Par sees sales gains across all sectors

Generic drug maker Par Pharmaceutical Cos. had sales of $227 million during fourth quarter 2010 and $1 billion for the year as a whole, according to an earnings statement Thursday.

WOODCLIFF LAKE, N.J. — Generic drug maker Par Pharmaceutical Cos. had sales of $227 million during fourth quarter 2010 and $1 billion for the year as a whole, according to an earnings statement Thursday.

Profits were $17.5 million for the quarter and $92.7 million for the year, compared with $10.7 million in fourth quarter 2009 and $76.9 million for 2009 as a whole.

February 23, 2011
Caraco, Sun to merge

Generic drug maker Caraco Pharmaceutical Industries will merge with Sun Pharmaceutical Industries, Caraco said Tuesday.

DETROIT — Generic drug maker Caraco Pharmaceutical Industries will merge with Sun Pharmaceutical Industries, Caraco said Tuesday.

Sun, which already owns 75.8% of Caraco, will pay $5.25 per share for the remaining shares of Caraco that it doesn’t already own and make Caraco a private company.

Sun originally made the going private offer in December, offering $4.75 per share for Caraco.

February 18, 2011
As innovaters prep for patent cliff, generics prosper from patent losses

A whole slew of drugs will lose patent protection this year, opening up opportunities for generic drug makers to market their own versions. Most notable among these is Pfizer’s cholesterol-
lowering drug Lipitor (atorvastatin), the world’s top-selling drug, with U.S. sales of $7 billion during the 12 months ended September 2010, according to IMS Health.


February 18, 2011
CVS flexes healthcare muscles

The news that CVS Caremark's Pharmacy Advisor program has been recognized by the Pharmacy Benefit Management Institute is yet one more illustration of how the company has positioned itself along the front lines to leverage its various points of care to improve outcomes and lower healthcare costs.

WHAT IT MEANS AND WHY IT'S IMPORTANT — The news that CVS Caremark's Pharmacy Advisor program has been recognized by the Pharmacy Benefit Management Institute is yet one more illustration of how the company has positioned itself along the front lines to leverage its various points of care to improve outcomes and lower healthcare costs.

(THE NEWS: CVS Caremark saluted for Pharmacy Advisor program. For the full story, click here)

February 18, 2011
Industry advocates tout
 increase in generics use

Generic drug usage already has been on the rise year after year, with no sign of slowing down. As Jody Fisher, VP marketing for healthcare analytics at market research firm SDI, has told Drug Store News, generics accounted for more than 70% of products dispensed at retail pharmacies and are set to increase further this year.


February 18, 2011
NACDS, NCPA call pharmacy 'backbone of Medicaid's drug benefit'

The National Association of Chain Drug Stores and the National Community Pharmacists Association on Friday sent a joint letter to every governor and state Medicaid director on the importance of pharmacies in Medicaid and the industry’s interest in working with state governments to cut costs.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The National Association of Chain Drug Stores and the National Community Pharmacists Association on Friday sent a joint letter to every governor and state Medicaid director on the importance of pharmacies in Medicaid and the industry’s interest in working with state governments to cut costs.

February 18, 2011
NewsBytes on WAG's Rx purchasing team, WMT's Duncan Mac Naughton, CVS Q4 results and more

DEERFIELD, Ill. — Walgreens this month rounded out the pharmacy purchasing team led by Jeff Berkowitz, who joined the company in the fall as SVP pharmaceutical development and market access.


February 18, 2011
THE PHARMACY: Enter the ‘community health provider’



As the costs of primary care march steadily higher and patients endure ever-longer wait times to see a family physician, the need for accessible, cost-effective patient care alternatives has become both obvious and urgent. 


Enter Walgreens. Armed with new, time-saving 
pharmacy automation tools, a growing offsite-dispensing capability and an array of new adherence and disease-management services, the company heavily is promoting its pharmacists and in-store clinicians as the most cost-effective front-line resource for community-based patient care.


February 17, 2011
Report: Exclusivity period for biotech drugs may be reduced to seven years

The Obama administration’s proposed budget for 2012 contains an item that could change the game for biosimilars, according to published reports.

WASHINGTON — The Obama administration’s proposed budget for 2012 contains an item that could change the game for biosimilars, according to published reports.

According to the reports, the administration would lower the 12-year data exclusivity period for biotech drugs mandated in the healthcare-reform law to seven years.

February 17, 2011
Teva's Jinteli now available

Generic drug maker Teva Pharmaceutical Industries has launched a generic drug for treating symptoms of menopause.

NORTH WALES, Pa. — Generic drug maker Teva Pharmaceutical Industries has launched a generic drug for treating symptoms of menopause.

Teva announced Thursday the availability of Jinteli (norethindrone acetate and ethinyl estradiol) tablets.

The drug is a generic version of Warner Chilcott’s FemHRT and is available in the 1-mg/5-mcg strength.