Content about pharmaceutical

August 30, 2012
Hospira buys Indian manufacturing, R&D center

Generic drug maker Hospira has acquired a manufacturing and research and development center from an Indian drug maker for $200 million, Hospira said Wednesday.

LAKE FOREST, Ill. — Generic drug maker Hospira has acquired a manufacturing and research and development center from an Indian drug maker for $200 million, Hospira said Wednesday.

Hospira said it bought the Food and Drug Administration-approved active pharmaceutical ingredient factory and R&D facility in Aurangabad, India, from Orchid Chemicals and Pharmaceuticals, saying it would reduce Hospira's costs, support its supplying of antibiotics and pave the way for future API development.

August 27, 2012
Q&A: Point-of-care perspective

AccentHealth’s Andrew Schulman, VP marketing, recently sat down with DSN to talk about a new regular DSN feature debuting in this issue called “Patient Views,” and how this series of surveys can help inform pharmacy operators and healthcare suppliers alike.


AccentHealth’s Andrew Schulman, VP marketing, recently sat down with DSN to talk about a new regular DSN feature debuting in this issue called “Patient Views,” and how this series of surveys can help inform pharmacy operators and healthcare suppliers alike.


DSN: What is AccentHealth, and why should retail pharmacy, pharmaceutical manufacturers and consumer packaged goods companies pay attention?


August 7, 2012
Lilly announces osteoporosis drug study results

A biotech drug made by Eli Lilly for osteoporosis appeared no more or less effective than a pharmaceutical drug available as a generic in treating women with related bone fractures, but was more effective in some other measures, according to results of a late-stage clinical trial released Tuesday.

INDIANAPOLIS — A biotech drug made by Eli Lilly for osteoporosis appeared no more or less effective than a pharmaceutical drug available as a generic in treating women with related bone fractures, but was more effective in some other measures, according to results of a late-stage clinical trial released Tuesday.

July 30, 2012
Clampdown on the Rx gray market: Striking a balance amid drug shortages

How can Congress plug the leaks in the pharmaceutical supply chain and dry up the stream of gray market drugs without making the current drug shortage even worse? And can federal regulators shut down gray market profiteers without limiting “the ability of pharmacies to take care of their patients?”

How can Congress plug the leaks in the pharmaceutical supply chain and dry up the stream of gray market drugs without making the current drug shortage even worse? And can federal regulators shut down gray market profiteers without limiting “the ability of pharmacies to take care of their patients?”

July 26, 2012
Senate committee reports pharmaceutical gray market fueled by unscrupulous pharmacies

The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation on Wednesday released a staff report on the investigation into the gray market for pharmaceuticals — what the committee defined as "shady operators who make enormous profits by buying hard-to-find drugs and reselling them at huge markups" — specifically naming pharmacies as a primary culprit.

WASHINGTON — The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation on Wednesday released a staff report on the investigation into the gray market for pharmaceuticals — what the committee defined as "shady operators who make enormous profits by buying hard-to-find drugs and reselling them at huge markups" — specifically naming pharmacies as a primary culprit.

July 23, 2012
Electronic medication reconciliation: When the healthcare industry collaborates, everyone wins

Healthcare providers in today’s environment are committed to promoting patient safety while providing access to the most reliable and innovative treatments. Medication reconciliation, which is defined by The Joint Commission as “the process of comparing a patient’s medication orders to all of the medications that the patient has been taking,” is designed to prevent drug-related errors — including adverse interactions, overdoses or allergic reactions — and can assist healthcare providers, especially during care transitions when patients are most likely to receive new medications or alternative doses.

Healthcare providers in today’s environment are committed to promoting patient safety while providing access to the most reliable and innovative treatments.

July 20, 2012
CRN hosts supplement medicine interaction webinar for pharmacists, nurse practitioners

The Council for Responsible Nutrition announced it is hosting a free webinar on the interaction between dietary supplements and pharmaceutical drugs via the professional networking website Pharmacist Society, an online community created by Skipta and sponsored by The Drug Store News Group, and Generation NP, a website that serves nurse practitioners.

WASHINGTON — The Council for Responsible Nutrition announced it is hosting a free webinar on the interaction between dietary supplements and pharmaceutical drugs via the professional networking website Pharmacist Society, an online community created by Skipta and sponsored by The Drug Store News Group, and Generation NP, a website that serves nurse practitioners.

This webinar is part of CRN’s ongoing initiative to help ensure that healthcare practitioners have access to science-based information on dietary supplements and the supplement industry.

July 18, 2012
Researchers: Vitamin C RDA should be raised; pharmaceutical trials for vitamins faulty

Researchers argue there is compelling evidence that the recommended dietary allowance of vitamin C should be raised to 200 mg per day for adults, up from its current levels of 75 mg for women and 90 mg for men, in a recent report published in Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition.

CORVALLIS, Ore. — Researchers argue there is compelling evidence that the recommended dietary allowance of vitamin C should be raised to 200 mg per day for adults, up from its current levels of 75 mg for women and 90 mg for men, in a recent report published in Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition.

The recommended dietary allowance of vitamin C is less than half what it should be, according to the researchers, because medical experts insist on evaluating vitamin C in the same way they do pharmaceutical drugs and reach faulty conclusions as a result.

July 16, 2012
Alliance Boots deal changes the game for WAG

Walgreens and Alliance Boots — it’s a trans-Atlantic retail pharmacy game-changer. 


Walgreens and Alliance Boots — it’s a trans-Atlantic retail pharmacy game-changer. 


As the largest single purchaser of prescription drugs in the world, with 11,000 retail pharmacies in 12 countries that currently dispense more than 260 million prescriptions a year, and a global pharmaceutical wholesale operation to match, serving more than 180,000 healthcare outlets worldwide, the new company will have a whole lot more leverage on that side of the business. 


July 16, 2012
Will PDUFA break the FDA's generic logjam?

Is the reauthorization of the Prescription Drug User Fee Act “the most important pharmaceutical legislation since the 1984 Hatch-Waxman Act?”

Is the reauthorization of the Prescription Drug User Fee Act “the most important pharmaceutical legislation since the 1984 Hatch-Waxman Act?”

The generic drug industry’s chief spokesman and top lobbyist says so, at any rate. Ralph Neas, president and CEO of the Generic Pharmaceutical Association, called the newly enacted Food and Drug Administration Safety and Innovation Act “a remarkable achievement for patients, industry and the FDA.”

July 9, 2012
Katrina Church promoted to VP, chief compliance officer at Merz

Merz has promoted one of its executives to serve as VP and chief compliance officer.

GREENSBORO, N.C. — Merz has promoted one of its executives to serve as VP and chief compliance officer.

The company said Katrina Church, who joined the company in November 2009, now will be responsible for providing strategic and operational leadership relating to compliance issues. Church officially took on the new responsibilities July 1.

June 26, 2012
Are you ready for ‘Health Mart 2.0?’

With some 3,000 stores now under its banner coast to coast and official designation by JD Power & Associates as the nation’s favorite pharmacy service provider, Health Mart has achieved a remarkable growth record in the eight years since McKesson launched a top-to-bottom overhaul of the Health Mart brand and marketing strategy. Now, the nation’s top name in independent franchised pharmacy is stepping up to a new level of customer care, operating performance, marketing sophistication and technological prowess.

With some 3,000 stores now under its banner coast to coast and official designation by JD Power & Associates as the nation’s favorite pharmacy service provider, Health Mart has achieved a remarkable growth record in the eight years since McKesson launched a top-to-bottom overhaul of the Health Mart brand and marketing strategy. Now, the nation’s top name in independent franchised pharmacy is stepping up to a new level of customer care, operating performance, marketing sophistication and technological prowess.

June 25, 2012
Eisai promotes Shaji Procida to finance chief

The U.S. pharmaceutical subsidiary of Eisai has promoted one of its executives.

WOODCLIFF LAKE, N.J. — The U.S. pharmaceutical subsidiary of Eisai has promoted one of its executives.

Shaji Procida, who previously served as VP finance of Eisai Inc., has been appointed to serve as VP and CFO. In her elevated role, she will have oversight and responsibility for all of Eisai's financial operations in the United States and also will continue to serve as a member of the company's executive committee. Procida has worked at the drug maker since 1998.

June 21, 2012
COPD spurs drug development

Taken together, asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease — which includes chronic bronchitis and emphysema — affect nearly 50 million Americans, or about 15% of the total U.S. population, according to statistics from such organizations as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Taken together, asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease — which includes chronic bronchitis and emphysema — affect nearly 50 million Americans, or about 15% of the total U.S. population, according to statistics from such organizations as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And combined, the two diseases cause more than 100,000 deaths per year. Fortunately, however, there is a wide range of treatments available for both, many of which work for both diseases.


June 21, 2012
Fighting COPD


Drug Store News recently talked with COPD Foundation founder and president John Walsh about the organization’s new leadership. In March, the COPD Foundation took over leadership for Drive4COPD, which aims to screen people for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, a collective term for emphysema and chronic bronchitis, which the group estimates to affect 24 million Americans who may have it but don’t know it.


Drug Store News recently talked with COPD Foundation founder and president John Walsh about the organization’s new leadership. In March, the COPD Foundation took over leadership for Drive4COPD, which aims to screen people for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, a collective term for emphysema and chronic bronchitis, which the group estimates to affect 24 million Americans who may have it but don’t know it.


DSN: What led the COPD Foundation to take over Drive4COPD?


June 21, 2012
How Walgreens-Alliance Boots deal is future of drug store retailing

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.

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)

June 21, 2012
Unused drugs: Take them back or throw away?

In 2008, an investigation by the Associated Press revealed that drinking water supplies in major cities and metropolitan regions across the country are riddled with pharmaceutical compounds.

In 2008, an investigation by the Associated Press revealed that drinking water supplies in major cities and metropolitan regions across the country are riddled with pharmaceutical compounds. For 41 million Americans, it suggests water with something extra means more than just a slice of lemon, though the quantities of pharmaceutical compounds in the water are too small to constitute a medical dose, according to the report.


June 18, 2012
Greenstone launches generic Zyprexa

Greenstone, the generic pharmaceutical subsidiary of Pfizer, has launched olanzapine tablets.

PEAPACK, N.J. — Greenstone, the generic pharmaceutical subsidiary of Pfizer, has launched olanzapine tablets.

The drug, which is a generic version of Zyprexa — an Eli Lilly drug used to treat psychiatric disorders — in the 2.5-mg, 5-mg, 7.5-mg, 10-mg, 15-mg and 20-mg strengths.

Generic and branded versions of the drug had sales of about $3.28 billion during the 12-month period ended in January, according to IMS Health.

June 15, 2012
Upsher-Smith tabs prestigious DIANAs at HDMA conference

Upsher-Smith wins 2012 DIANAs in Branded Pharmaceutical Product Manufacturer and Consumer Product Manufacturer categories.

MAPLE GROVE, Minn. — Upsher-Smith Labs has been named a 2012 winner of the Healthcare Distribution Management Association DIANA Awards. The Distribution Industry Awards for Notable Achievements in Healthcare, known more familiarly as the DIANAs, are awarded each year by HDMA to leading pharmaceutical and consumer product manufacturers.

June 14, 2012
E-prescribing of controlled substances: The next generation of medication ordering

In healthcare technology circles, e-prescribing is among today’s hottest topics. A vital component of patient-centered care, it creates a connectivity platform that encourages collaboration between the physician and pharmacist who are in joint pursuit of an enhanced patient experience.

In healthcare technology circles, e-prescribing is among today’s hottest topics. A vital component of patient-centered care, it creates a connectivity platform that encourages collaboration between the physician and pharmacist who are in joint pursuit of an enhanced patient experience.

June 6, 2012
Dr. Reddy's, Merck KGaA partner on biosimilars

A generic drug maker in India and a German pharmaceutical company will collaborate to develop biosimilars.

HYDERABAD, India — A generic drug maker in India and a German pharmaceutical company will collaborate to develop biosimilars.

Dr. Reddy's Labs and Merck KGaA subsidiary Merck Serono announced a partnership to develop biosimilar cancer treatments, most of them monoclonal antibodies, for global markets. Based in Darmstadt, Germany, Merck KGaA operates in the United States under the name EMD to distinguish itself from U.S. drug maker Merck.

May 31, 2012
Pharmacy groups submit recommendations to FDA as agency finalizes draft guidance for biosimilars

As the Food and Drug Administration works to finalize draft guidance related to the development of biosimilar products, pharmacy groups recently weighed in with recommendations to facilitate the entry of lower-cost products into the biologic and specialty pharmaceutical markets.

WASHINGTON — As the Food and Drug Administration works to finalize draft guidance related to the development of biosimilar products, pharmacy groups recently weighed in with recommendations to facilitate the entry of lower-cost products into the biologic and specialty pharmaceutical markets.

May 18, 2012
Mylan sponsors Drug Store News and Pharmacist Society to provide a new business networking platform for pharmacy schools and students

The Drug Store News Group, the Pharmacist Society and Mylan Inc., one of the world's leading generics and specialty pharmaceutical companies, are pleased to announce an exclusive sponsorship to expand membership opportunities at PharmacistSociety.com – an online forum that supports and enhances professional networks for U.S.-based retail pharmacists, professional organizations and pharmacy companies.

PITTSBURGH and NEW YORK — The Drug Store News Group, the Pharmacist Society and Mylan Inc., one of the world's leading generics and specialty pharmaceutical companies, are pleased to announce an exclusive sponsorship to expand membership opportunities at PharmacistSociety.com — an online forum that supports and enhances professional networks for U.S.-based retail pharmacists, professional organizations and pharmacy companies.

May 17, 2012
Drug companies should meet payers' expectations of value, report finds

More than 80% of health plans would require a drug manufacturer to demonstrate a clear clinical benefit compared with current branded and generic treatments in order for its drug to be placed in the plan's formulary, according to a new survey.

NEW YORK — More than 80% of health plans would require a drug manufacturer to demonstrate a clear clinical benefit compared with current branded and generic treatments in order for its drug to be placed in the plan's formulary, according to a new survey.

May 16, 2012
FDA identifies three online products masquerading as dietary supplements

The Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday identified three online products touting "natural" intimacy enhancement that consumers should avoid because they each contain undeclared pharmaceutical ingredients.

SILVER SPRING, Md. — The Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday identified three online products touting "natural" intimacy enhancement that consumers should avoid because they each contain undeclared pharmaceutical ingredients.

The three products include Boost ultra sexual enhancement formula, VMaxx Rx and Firminite.