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WASHINGTON – In their ongoing commitment to protect TRICARE beneficiaries’ access to prescription medications, the National Association of Chain Drug Stores and the National Community Pharmacists Association sent letters last week to the chairmen and ranking members of the House Armed Services Committee and the Senate Armed Services Committee urging them to protect TRICARE beneficiary access by refusing to further increase retail community pharmacist copayments. 

CHICAGO - The Female Health Company on Wednesday announced that it has entered into a definitive merger agreement with Aspen Park Pharmaceuticals, a privately held company focused on the development and commercialization of oncology and men’s and women’s health therapeutics and consumer health products. 

 

NEW YORK - The United States Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday approved Celltrion’s Inflectra (biosimilar infliximab) across all eligible indications of the reference product, Remicade (infliximab). Inflectra is now the first and only biosimilar monoclonal antibody (mAb) therapy, and only the second biosimilar, to be approved in the U.S.

 

NEW YORK - Pfizer on Wednesday announced that the merger agreement between Pfizer and Allergan has been terminated by mutual agreement of the companies. The decision was driven by the actions announced by the U.S. Department of Treasury on April 4, 2016, which the companies concluded qualified as an “Adverse Tax Law Change” under the merger agreement.

 

SILVER SPRING, Md. — The Food and Drug Administration has approved a new treatment for HIV from Gilead Sciences. The company announced Monday that it had received the agency’s approval for Descovy (emtricitabine 200 mg and tenofovir alafenamide 25 mg, F/TAF). 

 

WILMINGTON, Mass. — Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories and specialty pharmaceutical company CutisPharma announced Tuesday agreements for active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) supply and joint development as a way to advance several of CutisPharma’s research and development programs. 

 

DEERFIELD, Ill. — Walgreens on Monday released the results of a study that showed its pharmacy patients who used a multi-faceted medication adherence program had a 3% higher medication adherence rate and lower healthcare costs than those who use other pharmacies. The results were published in Population Health Management. 

 

LONDON — GBI Research published a report Thursday that noted the U.S. market for opioids will be growing in the coming years. According to the report, the opioid market will hit $17.7 billion by 2021, up from $11 billion in 2014, with a compound annual growth rate of 7%. 

 

The report attributes the growth to a concurrent increase in chronic pain in the United States, stemming from an aging population and more incidences of such chronic diseases as diabetes, obesity, cancer, arthritis and cardiovascular disease.