Content about Pharmacology

NEW YORK — Watertree Health has hired former NBA champion John Salley to market its free prescription discount cards, the company said.

Salley, who maintains a vegan diet, is a health and wellness advocate and has appeared in film and television. Watertree provides prescription discount cards and distributes them to anyone who needs help paying for medicines. According to the company, more than 100 million Americans don't have full prescription coverage.

NEW YORK — A dramatic jump in the rates of misuse of prescription stimulants over the past four years is linked to lax attitudes on the part of parents, according to a new study, though misuse and abuse of prescription opioids has remained flat.

FRANKLIN LAKES, N.J. — The Food and Drug Administration has approved a second product in BD's new line of injectable drugs, the company said Tuesday.

BD Rx, the pharmaceutical arm of the medical technology manufacturer, whose name stands for Becton, Dickinson and Co., received FDA approval for metoclopramide, part of its BD Simplist line of ready-to-administer pre-filled generic injectables. The product is an antiemetic, a drug used to stop vomiting.

ORLANDO, Fla. — Unnecessary spending related to medications totaled nearly half a trillion dollars last year, and much of that was in the poorest states in the country, according to pharmacy benefit manager Express Scripts.

ESI said the country wasted $418 billion on bad medication-related decisions, including $55.8 billion spent on higher-priced medications when cheaper alternatives were available; and $269.4 billion went to expenses related to poor medication adherence.

BASEL, Switzerland — The Food and Drug Administration has approved a drug made by Alcon, the drug maker said.

UrgentRx's fast powder OTC treatments are beginning to show up at the check-stand. As a brand offering, it represents a unique delivery format with unique merchandising opportunities. DSN sought out founder and president Jordan Eisenberg for the details.

DSN: What is the point of differentiation for the line?

CHICAGO — Wrigley has entered the "energy" arena with Alert Energy Caffeine Gum. Each piece contains 40 mg of caffeine, the equivalent of a half cup of coffee. The company said the gum is targeted to adults who consume caffeine for energy and are looking for a "portable solution." The gum's bitter taste is designed to deter children from using it. The gum is available in eight-piece packs in fruit and mint flavors, and has a suggested retail price of $2.99.

MUMBAI, India — The Food and Drug Administration has given tentative approval to two generic diabetes drugs made by Sun Pharmaceutical Industries, the Indian drug maker said.

Sun announced the tentative approvals for sitagliptin tablets in the 25 mg, 50 mg and 100 mg strengths and metformin hydrochloride extended-release tablets in the 500 mg and 1,000 mg strengths. The drugs are respectively generic versions of Merck's Januvia and Santarus' Glumetza.

PARSIPPANY, N.J. — A federal court ruling has allowed Actavis to relaunch a generic contraceptive drug, the company said.

LOS ANGELES — Tea of a Kind, a tea beverage company, announced today a wide distribution expansion into retail pharmacies, grocery stores and supermarkets in Northern California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico and more.

The product, which recently won Best Ready-to-Drink Tea Beverage at the 2012 Interbev Awards in Las Vegas, utilizes a "Gizmo Closure and Delivery System," a cap technology, which holds fresh, functional ingredients in a nitrogen pressurized chamber until the point of consumption, the company stated.

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. — The Food and Drug Administration has approved a modification to a program added to the labeling of an obesity drug to ensure patient safety.

Vivus announced that the FDA had approved changes to the risk evaluation and mitigatin strategy for Qsymia (phentermine and topiramate) extended-release capsules. The amendment to the REMS allows the drug to be dispensed through certified retail pharmacies in addition to the existing network of mail-order pharmacies.

NEW YORK — Purdue Pharma's patent for OxyContin expired Tuesday, opening up the opioid painkiller to generic competition, but authorities have raised concerns about what they call the potential for generic versions to be abused.