Specialty Pharmacy

WASHINGTON — A bill that would make the biggest changes to patent laws in more than half a century has drawn mixed responses from the drug industry.

The bill, S. 23, The Patent Reform Act of 2011, sponsored by Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., would make the first significant changes to patent laws in 60 years.

LUTRY, Switzerland — Nestlé Health Sciences completed its acquisition of a company that develops "medical foods" for such medical conditions as kidney disease, inflammatory bowel disease and colon cancer.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Pharmacy wholesaler H.D. Smith has promoted three of its executives.

The company announced Wednesday the promotion of Joseph Conda to SVP strategic planning and business development, Robert Appleby to corporate VP prescription products and Carolyn Webb to corporate VP marketing.

WASHINGTON — A new report developed by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America revealed that nearly 300 heart disease and stroke medicines are in development.

PhRMA said that while 299 medicines are in development by the nation's biopharmaceutical companies, there is a growing need for such drugs; African-Americans have a 1.5 times greater rate of heart disease death than other Americans and a 1.8 times greater rate of fatal stroke.

RIDGEFIELD, Conn. — A coalition of companies, celebrities and health organizations has achieved its goal of screening 1 million Americans for risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Drive4COPD announced the milestone Wednesday, saying its aim was to change how COPD is addressed in the United States; Drive4COPD identified those at risk through its COPD Population Screener.

PENSACOLA, Fla. — A federal judge in Florida has overturned a key portion of the healthcare-reform law and ruled that the entire law must be scrapped.

ELMSFORD, N.Y. — Specialty pharmacy provider BioScrip hopes to save $15 million through a cost-reduction and streamlining plan, the company said Monday.

Much of the two-part initiative will be implemented this year and completed by next year. Savings will mostly come from overhead, reduction of spending and restructuring of employee-benefit programs.

NEW YORK — Pfizer has completed its tender offer for Bristol, Tenn.-based King Pharmaceuticals, Pfizer said Monday.

Pfizer said 230.7 million shares valued at $14.25 each were tendered, representing about 92.5% of King.

Pfizer made its $3.6 billion offer for King in October 2010. The offer cleared the waiting period mandated by the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976 on Friday.