Specialty Pharmacy

CAMBRIDGE, Minn. — Anoka-Ramsey Community College announced that it will offer an associate in science degree in pharmacy technician. The required general education courses for the new program can be taken at either the Cambridge or Coon Rapids locations.

Program-specific courses are held at the Cambridge campus to help meet the needs of area pharmacies, according to the college.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Assembly Member Richard Bloom, D-Santa Monica, on Tuesday introduced legislation that would authorize a pharmacist to dispense the narcotic antagonist naloxone hydrochloride without a prescription in California. 

Naloxone is used to treat overdoses of narcotic medications including morphine, codeine and oxycodone and works by reversing the side effects of the narcotic, such as sedation and decreased breathing rate.

ARLINGTON, Va. — When selecting an exchange health plan under the Affordable Care Act, consumers should be able to evaluate plans’ success in medication management, among other quality measures, the National Association of Chain Drug Stores stated in comments to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Specifically, NACDS urged CMS to adopt measures related to medication adherence and appropriate medication use as part of its Quality Rating System for Qualified Health Plans, which are offered through health insurance exchanges.

VALLEY FORGE, Pa. — Due in part to the new Walgreens pharmaceutical business, AmerisourceBergen on Thursday reported revenue of $29.2 billion, up 38.5%, for its fiscal year 2014 first quarter ended Dec. 31.

“In our December quarter, we delivered solid results as we onboarded substantial new business,” Steven Collis, AmerisourceBergen president and CEO, said. “We performed well operationally, made meaningful progress through a significant working capital transition, and positioned ourselves well to meet our objectives for the fiscal year.”

PHOENIX — Avella Specialty Pharmacy on Thursday was recognized in Chief Executive magazine’s first list of the “Mid-Market Elite.” Avella joins other highly-regarded companies, including Twitter, LinkedIn and LifeLock, in receiving this honor that is given to 100 companies. 

PITTSBURGH — Mylan on Thursday announced that its subsidiary has launched repaglinide tablets, a generic version of Novo Nordisk's Prandin. The drug is used to improve glycemic control in adults with Type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Repaglinide tablets in 0.5 mg, 1 mg and 2 mg had sales in the United States of approximately $212.95 million for the 12 months ending Sept. 30, 2013, according to IMS Health.

DEERFIELD, Ill. — Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A. and Lundbeck on Tuesday announced the availability of Brintellix (vortioxetine) — a once-daily oral antidepressant for treatment of major depressive disorder in adults — in pharmacies across the United States.

“MDD continues to be a challenging condition to manage, and we are proud to make Brintellix available as a new treatment option for people struggling with major depression,” said Douglas Cole, president of Takeda Pharmaceuticals U.S.A.

COLUMBUS, Ohio - A new study from researchers at Ohio State University is reporting that older patients who receive written information on shingles were almost three times more likely to get vaccinated than those that didn’t receive a similar communication. The study is also one of the first to show that using a patient’s electronic medical record coupled with pharmacist intervention markedly improves preventative care of shingles over the current standard.