Specialty Pharmacy

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.

SAN DIEGO — Anglo-Swedish drug maker AstraZeneca will buy a San Diego-based biotech company for $1.26 billion, the two said Monday.

BARCELONA, Spain — Merck is testing two means of treating patients with chronic hepatitis C for anemia, a common side effect of certain treatments for the viral infection, the drug maker said.

Merck announced results of a phase-3 study comparing two strategies for managing anemia and how they affect the curing of hepatitis C in patients taking Victrelis (boceprevir) with Pegintron (peginterferon alfa-2b) and ribavirin.

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Drug maker Genzyme plans to present data from trial programs of two multiple sclerosis drugs at the American Academy of Neurology's annual meeting in New Orleans, which starts this Saturday and lasts until next Saturday.

Genzyme, owned by French drug maker Sanofi, will present results of 12 trials of the experimental drugs alemtuzumab and teriflunomide, including the phase-3 "CARE-MS II" trial, which compares alemtuzumab with Rebif (interferon beta-1a), made by Pfizer and Merck KGaA.

WASHINGTON — A trade organization representing generic drug manufacturers announced Thursday its latest solution to the problem of drug shortages.

ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, Fla. — A specialty pharmacy provider has launched an application that it said will reduce the administrative burden of reimbursement, writing prescriptions, monitoring adherence and reviewing drug lists.

BioPlus Specialty Pharmacy announced the launch of TAP App, short for Therapy Access Portal, designed to allow physicians to monitor patients from initial intake through benefit verification and shipping, and make data on adherence issues, medication possession ratios, adverse drug reactions and other issues more easily available.

ST. LOUIS — Workers' compensation pharmacy costs took on an extra $2.1 billion in 2011 due to unnecessary use of more expensive drugs, according to a new report by pharmacy benefit manager Express Scripts.

ST. LOUIS — Fresh off the heels of its merger with Medco Health Solutions, pharmacy benefit manager Express Scripts announced Monday the launch of a medication nonadherence detection system and offered a preview of its annual "Drug Trend Report."