Specialty Pharmacy

WHAT IT MEANS AND WHY IT'S IMPORTANT — It's no secret that something has been afoot for the last few years: Retail pharmacies have gradually metamorphosed from places to pick up pills to destinations for health care — places to get everything from vaccines to care from nurses and even from physicians.

Given retail pharmacies' evolving role, the growing number of employers starting wellness programs has opened up a number of possibilities, which some retail pharmacy companies have already started exploring.

PARSIPPANY, N.J. — People ages 65 years and older reduced their volume of prescriptions, while those ages 19 to 25 years increased their use of prescription drugs as the healthcare-reform law allowed them to remain on their parents' insurance, according to a new report by IMS Health.

The report, "The Use of Medicines in the United States: Review of 2011," found that per capita spending on U.S. medicines grew by 0.5% as healthcare system spending reached $320 billion and new drug launches opened new treatment options for more than 20 million Americans.

SAN DIEGO — Drug maker Amylin Pharmaceuticals has filed for regulatory approval of a drug to treat diabetes and elevated triglycerides in the bloodstream in children and adults with a rare disorder.

PITTSBURGH — Mylan has released a generic version of a drug used to treat a complication of certain chemotherapy regimens, the drug maker said Tuesday.

The company announced the launch of mesna injection in the 100-mg/mL and 1,000-mg/10-mL strengths. The drug is used to reduce the incidence of ifosfamide-induced hemorrhagic cystitis, a possible complication of ifosfamide chemotherapy.

SAN DIEGO — Two drug makers have finalized the design of a late-stage clinical trial for a vaccine against a common virus that can cause complications later in life.

Vical and Astellas Pharma announced Monday that they had finalized the general design of a phase-3 trial of TransVax, a vaccine against cytomegalovirus, or CMV, for transplant recipients.

WASHINGTON — The controversial merger between Express Scripts and Medco was completed Monday morning, according to a press release issued by both Express Scripts and the Federal Trade Commission.

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. — Breast cancer patients taking an experimental drug made by Roche subsidiary Genentech lived significantly longer than those taking another drug made by GlaxoSmithKline, according to results of a late-stage clinical trial.

SILVER SPRING, Md. — The Food and Drug Administration has approved a new treatment for anemia in patients with chronic kidney disease.

The FDA announced the approval of Affymax's Omontys (peginesatide), a drug belonging to the class known as erythropoiesis-stimulating agents, designed to aid the formation of red blood cells.