Specialty Pharmacy

The Anti-Infective Drugs Advisory Committee (AIDAC) to the FDA voted 13 to 1 that there was adequate evidence of efficacy and safety to support the use of tobramycin inhalation powder (TIP) for the management of cystic fibrosis (CF) patients whose lungs contain bacteria called Pseudomonas aeruginosa (Pa).

Pfizer Inc recently announced the FDA has approved Bosulif (bosutinib), an Abl and Src kinase inhibitor, for the treatment of adult patients with chronic, accelerated, or blast phase Philadelphia chromosome-positive (Ph+) chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) with resistance, or intolerance to prior therapy.

The FDA recently approved Linzess (linaclotide) to treat chronic idiopathic constipation and to treat irritable bowel syndrome with constipation (IBS-C) in adults.

Pluristem Therapeutics, Inc, a leading developer of placenta-based cell therapies, today announced that it has filed the necessary documents requesting that the FDA grant orphan drug status to its PLacental eXpanded (PLX) cells for the treatment of aplastic anemia.

Stribild, previously known as the Quad, has been approved by the FDA to treat HIV-1 infection in adults who are starting HIV treatment for the first time.

Scientists show a renewed interest in latrepirdine as a treatment for a number of neurodegenerative disorders after experiments with the drug exhibited improved memory function in animal models.

Diplomat Specialty Pharmacy announced that, for the fourth consecutive year, they earned a position on Inc. magazine's exclusive, annual ranking of the fastest-growing private companies in America.

The business and science of innovation are challenged by a recent article in British Medical Journal entitled "Pharmaceutical research and development: what do we get for all that money?"

Dr. D'vorah Graeser weighs in on the increasingly popular practice of using pay-for-delay arrangements to settle disputes over pharmaceutical patent ownership.

The new platform provides patients with a reliable place to go for information about their disease state and specialty medications.

BioPlus Specialty Pharmacy announces the hiring of Karen Bowe as the national director of hemophilia, northeast, to better meet the needs of its best-in-class Bleeding Disorders Program.

Continuing medical education company PER hosts congress conducted by leading faculty.

Bristol-Myers Squibb Company and Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Inc announced the launch of patient management programs for Sprycel (dasatinib) patients with a select group of specialty pharmacy providers.

Adheris, an inVentiv Health company, announced today that Community Specialty Pharmacy Network, Inc (CSPN) has joined its growing network of over 21,000 pharmacies.

Diplomat Specialty Pharmacy--the nation's largest privately owned specialty pharmacy--recently announced that Steve Wolbert has been hired as its first Community Relations Liaison.

Through their studies of the molecular mechanisms involved in DNA repair, scientists from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine found that the artificial activation of a gene called Chk1 permanently halts cancer cell replication.

Fresh on the heels of another failed drug trial, pharmaceutical companies try to gauge the remaining strategic options in the treatment of patients with Alzheimer's disease.

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd and Active Biotech announced they will continue the clinical development of once-daily oral laquinimod for the treatment of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) in a third Phase III trial.

A new research and licensing partnership between the University of Pennsylvania and Novartis aims to develop more effective treatments for cancer by giving patients a disabled form of HIV.

The United States Food and Drug Administration approved Zaltrap (ziv-aflibercept) for use in combination with a Folfiri (folinic acid, fluorouracil and irinotecan) chemotherapy regimen to treat adults with colorectal cancer.

Spectrum Pharmaceuticals, a biotechnology company with fully integrated commercial and drug development operations with a primary focus in hematology and oncology, announced publication of positive Phase 2 clinical data for Zevalin (ibritumomab tiuxetan) injection in patients with mantle-cell lymphoma.

GlaxoSmithKline plc announced regulatory submissions in the European Union and United States related to single-agent use of its BRAF inhibitor dabrafenib and MEK inhibitor trametinib to treat patients with BRAF V600 mutation positive metastatic melanoma.

Prime Therapeutics, a leading pharmacy benefit manager, has launched Prime Therapeutics Specialty Pharmacy (Prime Specialty Pharmacy), a new integrated specialty pharmacy focused on providing easier access to affordable medicine.

A provision of the new health care law expands womens' access to potentially life-saving tests and services.

OrPro Therapeutics, Inc announced that the company has been awarded a National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant from the National Institutes of Health to advance development of its lead product, ORP-100, for the treatment of cystic fibrosis.

CoramRx Specialty Pharmacy Services announced today that it has been awarded Specialty Pharmacy Accreditation from URAC, a Washington, D.C.-based health care accrediting organization that establishes quality standards for the health care industry.

Findings of a new study suggest women infected with HIV do not need more frequent Pap tests.

Treatment with antiretrovirals is now recommended for all adults with HIV infection, regardless of their CD4 count.

Specialty Pharmacy Times spoke to Sajid Syed, BSPharm, MS, RPh, of Acro Pharmaceutical Services, about the high cost of specialty drugs, patient needs, and the ACA.

Idenix Pharmaceuticals, Inc, a biopharmaceutical company engaged in the discovery and development of drugs for the treatment of human viral diseases, recently announced the FDA has granted Fast Track designation for IDX719 for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C infection.