Content about ST. LOUIS

ST. LOUIS — Missouri’s House of Representatives on Monday voted 100 in favor and 50 opposed to reclassifying pseudoephedrine as a prescription-only remedy and subsequently moved the matter to the state Senate — this despite the fact that electronic track-and-trace has been up and running for the past six months, blocking more than 30,000 potentially illegal PSE purchases, stated Scott Melville, president and CEO of the Consumer Healthcare Products Association.

ST. LOUIS — Purina One has introduced a new line of pet food for dogs and cats that boasts meat as the No. 1 ingredient.

ST. LOUIS — Drug maker Fleming Pharmaceuticals is increasing production of a drug for preventing thyroid cancer in response to the nuclear crisis in Japan.

The drug, ThyroShield (potassium iodide), is designed for use in nuclear emergencies and works by saturating the thyroid gland so that it can’t absorb radioactive iodine.

ST. LOUIS — Patients who take generic antidepressants will remain as adherent as those who take brand-name drugs to treat the condition, according to a new study.

The study, conducted by Express Scripts and published in the Journal of Managed Care Pharmacy, found patients starting generic selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and generic selective norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors had a discontinuation rate of 44.2%, compared with 46.8% among those on brand-name SSRIs and SNRIs.

ST. LOUIS — Supermarket chain Schnucks Markets is partnering with produce wholesaler Frieda’s to educate shoppers about citrus fruits.

The retailer said all of its Schnucks and Logli stores in Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Iowa, Tennessee and Mississippi would host Frieda’s Produce University, an eight-hour, open-house-style event on Saturday that will feature staff to teach shoppers how to prepare and eat various citrus fruits and free samples. The session will cover exotic varieties, such as Meyer lemons, pomelos, blood oranges and kumquats.

ST. LOUIS — The Food and Drug Administration has approved a painkiller delivered through a skin patch made by Mallinckrodt, the generic drug maker said Friday.

Mallinckrodt, part of Covidien, said the FDA approved its fentanyl transdermal system patch.

The patch is a generic version of Johnson & Johnson’s Duragesic. The drug, an opioid and Class II controlled substance, is used for managing persistent, moderate-to-severe pain that requires continuous opioid administration.

ST. LOUIS, Mo. — Save-A-Lot announced that it will break ground for a new 325,000-sq.-ft. food distribution center in Lexington, N.C.

MUSKEGON, Mich. — "The Billboard Family," a family of four that has attracted national media attention for donning sponsored T-shirts, wearing them all around the St. Louis area and then plastering that day’s photos all over such social media sites as Facebook, Flickr and YouTube, has gained an exclusive sponsor for the baby Billboard that’s on the way.

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. (Dec. 1) Gov. Jay Nixon, D-Mo., on Tuesday campaigned for a sweeping expansion of efforts to battle methamphetamine, including legislation that would make Missouri the third state in the nation to require a prescription for the cough-cold ingredient pseudoephedrine.

It’s not a new issue for the Show Me State — several local municipalities that fall between St. Louis and the Missouri capital of Jefferson City last year passed local ordinances that required prescriptions for PSE products.

ST. LOUIS — Since the beginning of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the early 1980s, one of the greatest advances has been antiviral drugs that have helped extend the lives of patients with viral infections.

ST. LOUIS — Just one week after clearing the antitrust hurdle to acquire American Safety Razor, Energizer announced that its acquisition of the company now is complete.

Energizer purchased substantially all of the assets of American Safety Razor for $301 million in cash and the assumption of certain liabilities, the company said.

As previously reported by Drug Store News, Energizer announced in early October that it was the winning bidder for ASR in bankruptcy court proceedings.

ST. LOUIS Energizer Holdings has obtained U.S. antitrust clearance for the acquisition of American Safety Razor.

The waiting period for the antitrust review under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976 has expired. Clearance from regulatory authorities in Germany and Taiwan now must be satisfied before closing.

Energizer stated that it will continue to seek clearance from those authorities in advance of the Nov. 23 deadline in the Asset Purchase Agreement between Energizer and ASR.