Healthcare

SILVER SPRING, Md. — The Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday announced it will hold a public hearing on March 22 and 23 to discuss how technology can expand which drug products can be switched from prescription to over-the-counter status.

CAMP HILL, Pa. — Rite Aid is teaming up with a new technology vendor for dispensing drugs under a special federal discount program, the company said Tuesday.

Rite Aid announced that it had selected CaptureRx as its preferred vendor and administrator in dispensing drugs under 340B, a Federal Public Health Service program that allows health centers and hospitals to purchase outpatient drugs for less than half of their cost on the commercial market.

NEW YORK — The U.S. unit of Indian generic drug maker Glenmark is recalling a generic contraceptive drug, the company said.

Glenmark Generics USA announced the recall of seven lots, imported from India, of norgestimate and ethinyl estradiol tablets in the 0.18-mg/0.035-mg, 0.215-mg/0.035-mg and 0.25-mg/0.035-mg strengths. The company said a packaging error resulted in blister packs being rotated 180 degrees within the card, reversing the weekly tablet orientation and making the lot number and expiration date visible only on the outer pouch.

CHICAGO — The number of working people concerned about their weight is on the rise, according to a new study.

Results of a poll released Tuesday by ComPsych, a company that calls itself the world's largest provider of employee assistance programs, indicated that 43% of employees cited weight loss as their primary health concern, a number that was 10% higher than in 2011.

RARITAN, N.J. — The Food and Drug Administration has given priority review to a regulatory application from Johnson & Johnson for a drug designed to reduce the risk of complications from internal blood clots.

J&J's Janssen Research & Development division announced that the FDA had given the designation to Xarelto (rivaroxaban), an oral anticoagulant, to reduce the risk of certain types of heart attacks in patients with acute coronary syndrome, which 1.2 million Americans are diagnosed with every year.

As part of its Executive Retailer Viewpoint series, DSN sat down with Chuck Wilson, VP pharmacy operations at Health Mart, at DSN's Industry Issues Summit to discuss opportunities for community pharmacy to improve patient outcomes.

WASHINGTON — An organization that certifies pharmacy technicians is starting a program designed to encourage more technicians to get certified.

The Pharmacy Technician Certification Board announced Tuesday the launch of the Employer Partnership Program, which it said was for retail and health-system pharmacies that want to encourage technicians to participate in the PTCB certification program. North Carolina regional chain Kerr Drug already has joined the program, according to PTCB.

NEW YORK — GlaxoSmithKline has recalled nearly 400,000 bottles of a hypertension drug that were distributed in the United States, according to published reports.

Reuters Health reported that GSK was recalling 394,230 bottles of its DynaCirc CR after the drug's manufacturer, Novartis, reported inconsistent packaging practices. The generic drug is manufactured at a Novartis plant in Lincoln, Neb.

No adverse events were reported, GSK was quoted as saying, but the drug maker elected to put forth a recall as a precautionary measure.