Specialty Pharmacy

Advocacy group says proposed compounding regulations would endanger public health
WASHINGTON — An advocacy group said proposed Food and Drug Administration rules for compounding pharmacies would put the public's health and safety at risk.

In a letter sent to Department of Health and Human Services secretary Kathleen Sebelius, Public Citizen criticized Food and Drug Administration commissioner Margaret Hamburg for "both undermining her agency's authority in congressional testimony last month and offering a plan that would effectively weaken the agency's oversight of drug manufacturing."
Study finds increase in retail co-pays for prescription drugs
PLANO, Texas — Retail co-pays for drugs are on the rise across all drug types, according to a new study by the Pharmacy Benefit Management Institute.

The study, based on a survey of 424 U.S. employers representing about 3.7 million members, found that retail co-pays increased 10% for generics, 13% for branded drugs and 26% for specialty drugs. Meanwhile, there was an increase in use of multitier designs, which now represent 92% of plan sponsors, while adoption of medication therapy management for commercial populations was "minimal."

Symposium brings together specialty pharmacy stakeholders

PHILADELPHIA — The changing healthcare environment and the challenges and opportunities of specialty pharmacy were the biggest themes at Acro Pharmaceutical Services' sixth annual Payer and Managed Care Symposium in Philadelphia last Thursday.

Representatives from drug makers and across the specialty pharmacy space met at the Hyatt at the Bellevue to discuss a wide variety of topics related to specialty pharmacy.
Maddak introduces Built-Up Handle for arthritis sufferers

WAYNE, N.J. — A new product makes gripping such things as eating utensils, pens and toothbrushes easier for people with arthritis.

Maddak announced the availability of the Universal Built-Up Handle, designed as a "do-it-yourself" product to enlarge the gripping surfaces of common household items.
Most prescribers would pick biosimilar RA drugs

BURLINGTON, Mass. — A majority of prescribers would prescribe biosimilar versions of two treatments for rheumatoid arthritis within a year of their approval, according to a new study.
FDA approves generic HIV drug

SILVER SPRING, Md. — The Food and Drug Administration has approved two generic versions of a drug to treat HIV, according to agency records.

The FDA approved abacavir sulfate tablets in the 300-mg strength made by Apotex and Aurobindo.

The drug is a generic version of Viiv Healthcare's Ziagen.

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FDA approves GlaxoSmithKline's raxibacumab for anthrax

LONDON — The Food and Drug Administration has approved a new biotech drug from GlaxoSmithKline for anthrax, the drug maker said.

GSK announced the approval of raxibacumab for adults and children who have inhaled Bacillus anthracis. The drug is designed for combination with antibiotics and for preventing inhalational anthrax when alternative therapies aren't available. The drug is the result of a project that Human Genome Sciences, now owned by GSK, began working on in 2001 in response to terrorist anthrax attacks in the United States.
FDA approves Novartis drug for Cushing's disease

EAST HANOVER, N.J. — The Food and Drug Administration has approved a new drug to treat a rare but serious endocrine disorder.

Swiss drug maker Novartis announced the approval of Signifor (pasireotide), an injectable drug for treating Cushing's disease in adults for whom pituitary surgery is not an option or has not been curative. Novartis said Signifor was the first drug to be approved in the United States that addresses the disease's underlying mechanism.
Diplomat Specialty's 'top job creator' nod a boon for specialty pharm

Inc. magazine named Diplomat Specialty Pharmacy as one of the country's top 100 job creators as part of the business magazine's inaugural Hire Power Awards. Diplomat Specialty Pharmacy cracked the list at No. 94 with the addition of 233 new positions over the past three years and came in at No. 5 in the company's home state of Michigan.
Specialty patients in Los Angeles could be forced to use mail-order, advocates say

NEW YORK — Thousands of patients in Los Angeles with serious, chronic diseases could soon find themselves unable to get their drugs from community pharmacies, advocates for the pharmacies said.

Advocacy group says proposed compounding regulations would endanger public health

Study finds increase in retail co-pays for prescription drugs

Symposium brings together specialty pharmacy stakeholders

Maddak introduces Built-Up Handle for arthritis sufferers

Most prescribers would pick biosimilar RA drugs

FDA approves generic HIV drug

FDA approves GlaxoSmithKline's raxibacumab for anthrax

FDA approves Novartis drug for Cushing's disease

Diplomat Specialty's 'top job creator' nod a boon for specialty pharm

Specialty patients in Los Angeles could be forced to use mail-order, advocates say