Specialty Pharmacy

TITUSVILLE, N.J. — A subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson has acquired rights to an experimental drug for hepatitis C from GlaxoSmithKline.

Janssen Pharmaceuticals announced that it had bought, for an undisclosed among, the drug GSK2336805 from GSK. The drug, which belongs to a class known as NS5a replication complex inhibitors, is currently in mid-stage development.

LANDOVER, Md. — Giant Food of Landover, Md., presented its first-ever Giant Food NextGen Award for Children's Cancer Research this week, created for young investigators committed to pursuing a long-term career in pediatric oncology research.

NEW YORK — A coalition of organizations that includes major retail pharmacy and drug manufacturing groups is warning consumers against purchasing drugs from foreign, online outlets.

NEW YORK — A new law in Maine will allow consumers to purchase drugs by mail order from some pharmacies overseas, according to published reports.

The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday that the law, a first, had sparked lawsuits from drug companies, who say the law will threaten patient safety by opening the U.S. supply chain to counterfeit and adulterated medications. Supporters of the law, including Republican Gov. Paul LePage, say drug makers are more concerned about losing money from the law.

SANTA ANA, Calif. — GreenLight Rx is offering a line of medicine bottles aimed at elderly people and those suffering from such conditions as arthritis, the company said.

NEW YORK — A Republican congressman from Alabama has proposed a stopgap bill that would fund the Food and Drug Administration through the middle of December or until the government shutdown ends, though it is unlikely to pass in the Senate.

WASHINGTON — Consumers paid more for prescriptions as the country's economy recovered from the recession, according to a new study.

According to the study, conducted by researchers at the Health Care Cost Institute and published in this month's issue of the journal Health Affairs, per-person spending on prescriptions rose by 3.3% between 2007 and 2011. The study was based on analysis of spending by 40 million people for each year studied, using data provided by health insurers Aetna, Humana and UnitedHealthcare.

NEW YORK — A trade group of generic drug makers is hoping that California's governor vetoes a bill that it says would restrict patients' access to biosimilars.