Content about Specialty pharmacy

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — H. D. Smith on Tuesday announced plans to secure majority ownership in Triplefin, a privately held reimbursement, patient assistance and pharmaceutical brand support services company headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. H. D. Smith will immediately obtain majority board vote, and by mid-2013, majority stock ownership.

LINCOLN, Calif. — A drug-security product has won a drug-abuse prevention award.

The Locking Cap was named as one of the "Top 5 Technologies to Reduce Prescription Drug Abuse" by the Center for Lawful Access and Abuse Deterrence.

The cap is a four-digit combination-locking lid for prescription medication bottles. The maker of the cap, Cap-n-Lock, launched an updated version of the cap at the beginning of the year to attract the attention of shoppers.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The National Association of Chain Drug Stores has expanded its program lineup for the upcoming 2013 Regional Chain Conference to now include a new session of specialty pharmacy.

The conference will take place Feb. 3 to 5 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and is designed to address the challenges facing senior retail executives who operate up to 250 stores.

Drug Store News has introduced a new app for print subscribers to DSN magazine: DSN+.

Available for free download at the Apple Store, DSN+ turns a page of Drug Store News into an interactive experience, linking readers seamlessly from print to digital, as quickly and easily as it is to take a picture with a smartphone.

NEW YORK — Abbott Labs has spun off its specialty drug division into a new company called AbbVie, which the new company's leaders heralded Wednesday by ringing the first opening bell of 2013 at the New York Stock Exchange.

NEW YORK — An organization focused on inflammatory bowel disease has enlisted a star of "NYPD Blue," "Judging Amy" and "Private Practice" to raise awareness of the condition.

The Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America hired actress Amy Brenneman, who has ulcerative colitis, one of two diseases that collectively make up IBD; the other is Crohn's disease. Both conditions are autoimmune diseases that cause discomfort and inflammation of the intestines and require frequent trips to the bathroom.

SAN FRANCISCO — While pressure to grow will drive more large drug makers to pursue mergers and acquisitions, diminished resources and competition from biotech and specialty pharmaceutical companies will challenge their ability to do so, according to a new report.

NEW YORK — The Food and Drug Administration has approved a new means of administration for a multiple sclerosis drug, the manufacturers said.

Pfizer and EMD Serono announced the approval of Rebif Rebidose (interferon beta-1a), a single-use auto-injector for self-administering Rebif, used to treat relapsing forms of MS. EMD Serono is the U.S. division of German drug maker Merck KGaA, so-named to avoid confusion with U.S.-based Merck & Co.

WESTON, Mass. — An experimental drug for Lou Gehrig's disease made by Biogen Idec has failed in a late-stage clinical trial, the drug maker said Thursday.

Biogen announced results of its phase-3 trial of dexpramipexole in patients with the disease, known technically as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS. The drug failed to improve functioning and survival in patients and failed to show efficacy in key secondary endpoints as well, the company said.

SPRING SPRING, Md. — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Monday approved Fulyzaq (crofelemer) to relieve symptoms of diarrhea in HIV/AIDS patients taking antiretroviral therapy, a combination of medicines used to treat HIV infection. Diarrhea is experienced by many HIV/AIDS patients and is a common reason why patients discontinue or switch their antiretroviral therapies.

WASHINGTON — A federal judge in Washington has dismissed a suit against the FDA brought up by Mylan for withholding approval for the company to sell a generic version of Novartis AG’s heart pill, Diovan.

U.S. District Court Judge John D. Bates said in an opinion filed on Dec. 27, that the FDA did not act “capriciously” when it denied Mylan exclusivity to market its version of Diovan. Bates also said Mylan did not show it suffered “irreparable harm” as a result.

FLINT, Mich. — Diplomat Specialty Pharmacy on Thursday announced that CEO and co-founder Phil Hagerman has been named one of 13 "Michiganders to Watch" by MLive Media Group, a collaborative network of local and statewide Michigan news outlets. The MLive profile on Hagerman can be viewed here.