Regulatory and Washington

WASHINGTON — USA Today on Monday morning reported two products marketed as dietary supplements in outlets including Walmart.com and GNC have actually been adulterated with a chemical similar to methamphetamine.  

The supplements included Craze, a pre-workout powder sold by Driven Sports, and Gaspari Nutrition's weight loss supplement Detonate. 

EWING, N.J. — The Food and Drug Administration has approved a new drug made by Antares Pharma for treating rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis, the drug maker said Monday.

ORLANDO, Fla. — A business plan developed by a team of pharmacy students from Oklahoma has won an award from the National Community Pharmacists Association and Good Neighbor Pharmacy.

PARIS — Allergy sufferers will have a new treatment option available to them by the spring allergy season. Sanofi on Friday announced that the Food and Drug Administration approved Nasacort Allergy 24HR nasal spray (triamcinolone intranasal) as an over-the-counter treatment for seasonal and year-round nasal allergies in adults and children 2 years of age and older. 

Nasacort is the first and only nasal corticosteroid to be available without a prescription and will be marketed by Sanofi's consumer healthcare division, Chattem.

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. — Johnson & Johnson on Monday announced that Mark McClellan, senior fellow in economic studies and director of the Initiative on Value and Innovation in Health Care at the Brookings Institution, will join the company's board of directors on Oct. 15. McClellan will serve on the regulatory, compliance and government affairs committee, as well as the science, technology and sustainability committee.

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. — More than three-quarters of Medicare beneficiaries don't compare drug prices when shopping for their health plans, according to a new study.

The study, conducted by eHealth, found that 78% of respondents don't compare prices, but that the average beneficiary could have saved more than $600 this year on out-of-pocket prescription drug costs if he had. The study was based on an analysis of more than 450,000 unique visitor sessions during Medicare's 2013 Annual Enrollment Period.

ARLINGTON, Va. — A specialty pharmacy industry group has established new offices near the nation's capital.

The Specialty Pharmacy Association of America announced the new offices are located in Arlington, Va. SPAARx's new office will open on Tuesday in the Ballston area of the city.

SILVER SPRING, Md. – One of the Food and Drug Administration's top regulators is not retiring, contrary to rumors reported in news media Thursday.

In a memo sent out to staff, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research director Janet Woodcock wrote that she would not retire, but was becoming "more deeply involved" in such activities as proposed reorganizations of the Office of Pharmaceutical Quality and the Office of Generic Drugs.