Regulatory and Washington

PITTSBURGH — The U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania on Wednesday denied a preliminary injunction filed by pharmacy trade groups in an effort to block the merger between pharmacy benefit managers Express Scripts and Medco.

WASHINGTON — The National Retail Federation has named Bill Thorne SVP communications and public affairs. He will join NRF on June 1 to oversee the organization's industry and public affairs communications strategy, including NRF's "Retail Means Jobs" campaign, a multimillion dollar initiative to demonstrate the power of retail to America’s economy and the career opportunities within the industry.

Thorne currently serves as senior director of community affairs at Walmart.

SILVER SPRING, Md. — Globalization has led to a rapid increase in the drugs and foods arriving on U.S. shores from abroad, a trend that has prompted U.S. regulators to transform their approach.

The Food and Drug Administration released a report Monday detailing its strategies for what it called transforming from a domestic to a global public health agency.

PALM BEACH, Fla. — The charitable arm of the National Association of Chain Drug Stores has elected three new members to its board of directors.

The board, which now will expand to 23 members for 2012-2013, include Rite Aid's SVP and chief communications officer Susan Henderson; GlaxoSmithKline VP channel development and sales Joseph Kucharski; and Pfizer Worldwide Pharmaceuticals VP corporate government customers David Moules.

PALM BEACH, Fla. — Disruptive innovation. That's the role pharmacy needs to play in the shaping of a new healthcare paradigm — one that achieves greater outcomes at lesser cost through increased involvement of retail health care. That was the theme of a presentation given Tuesday by the National Association of Chain Drug Stores' new chairman Greg Wasson, who also serves as Walgreens president and CEO.

PALM BEACH, Fla. — The National Association of Chain Drug Stores Foundation announced that $350,000 in scholarships were awarded through its 2012 pharmacy partners scholarship program.

The announcement was made at the NACDS Annual meeting in Palm, Beach, Fla.

As Greg Wasson, president and CEO of Walgreens, settles into his new role as incoming chairman of the National Association of Chain Drug Stores, Drug Store News caught up with him to get his thoughts on his new role and his industry perspectives.

DSN: As incoming chairman, what is your first order of business?

WOODCLIFF LAKE, N.J. — Par Pharmaceutical has bought rights to a generic drug for gastroesophageal reflux disease from Handa Pharmaceuticals, Par said.

Handa, based in Fremont, Calif., sold rights to the regulatory approval application it filed with the Food and Drug Administration for dexlansoprazole capsules, a generic version of Takeda's Dexilant, in the 60-mg strength.