Content about manufacturing

WASHINGTON — The Natural Products Association on Wednesday announced the creation of a new webinar series, “Regulatory Trainings Straight from Your Desk,” that will begin Aug. 22 with an education session about good manufacturing practices for own-label distributors, repackagers and relabelers.

Expert speakers include Daniel Fabricant, director of the FDA Division of Dietary Supplement Programs, and Cindy Beehner, president of QSD Consulting.

BRIDGEWATER, N.J. — Generic drug maker Amneal Pharmaceuticals will spend $120 million to expand three of its plants, the company said Monday.

Amneal said it would spend the money over a two-year period lasting through 2014 to "significantly" grow operations at research-and-development, manufacturing and distribution plants in New York, New Jersey and Kentucky. The company, which employs more than 1,100 people in the United States, said the expansion would create 500 more jobs.

SIMI VALLEY, Calif. — Derma e Natural Bodycare, a maker of natural skin care products, has appointed Michelle Lamey as North American beauty sales manager.

With more than 20 years of experience in sales and retail management, Lamey has worked in all three segments of the retail arena: product manufacturing, sales and buying. During this time, she worked with small luxury brands and gained comprehensive experience in market development, key account management, customer service and event facilitation.

SILVER SPRING, Md. — The Food and Drug Administration is asking companies to stop manufacturing and distributing unapproved drugs containing the painkiller oxycodone, the agency said Thursday.

WHAT IT MEANS AND WHY IT'S IMPORTANT — As much as CVS created a category of one for itself with its vertically integrated retail pharmacy-pharmacy benefit manager-clinic model, Walgreens has cast itself in a category of its own: A pharmacy-driven, global health-and-wellness company with the purchasing strength of more than 11,000 stores.

(THE NEWS: Walgreens, Alliance Boots to merge. For the full story, click here)

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — It has been 50 years since Hendrik and Fred Meijer opened "Thrifty Acres" in Grand Rapids, Mich., marking the birth of the nation's pioneering supercenter and an innovative concept that grew into a retail phenomenon.

"They didn't realize it at the time, but our father and grandfather were making history when they opened 'Thrifty Acres' in June 1962," stated Hank Meijer, co-chairman. "The store offered groceries and general merchandise and enabled customers to enjoy 'one-stop shopping.'"

ALLEGAN, Mich. — The Food and Drug Administration has approved a generic treatment made by Perrigo for fungal infections of the vagina, the company said.

Perrigo announced the approval of butoconazole nitrate 2% vaginal cream, a generic version of KV Pharmaceutical's Gynazole-1, used to treat vulvovaginal candidiasis, an infection caused by Candida fungus. KV voluntarily discontinued selling the drug in January 2009 due to manufacturing problems.

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The National Association of Chain Drug Stores expressed its support for the legislative package that will serve as a starting point for the reauthorization of the Prescription Drug User Fee Act in a letter to the bipartisan leadership of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions.

NEW YORK — According to the latest numbers, the country's economy is slowly growing, while unemployment has been slowly declining. But while growth has been somewhat less than stellar, 10 industries have outpaced the rest of the economy, including generic drugs.

WASHINGTON — The Personal Care Products Council and the Safe Cosmetics Alliance has announced support for legislation to strengthen and modernize regulatory oversight of the industry and to create a greater role for the Food and Drug Administration in assessing the safety of personal care products.

HAYWARD, Calif., and FORT COLLINS, Colo. — Impax Labs has partnered with a pharmaceutical research, development, manufacturing and commercial operations company on a multiproduct agreement.

Impax Labs and Tolmar will develop, supply and distribute alternative dosage form products. The products and terms of the agreement were not disclosed; however, Impax Labs president and CEO Larry Hsu said the new agreement "represents an ideal extension of [our] initial product agreement."