News

Researchers will receive $7.9 million over the next 5 years to test the effects of intranasal insulin therapy on patients with mild cognitive impairment and mild to moderate Alzheimer’s disease.

In this AJMC video, Surya Singh, MD, Vice President, Medical Benefit Management, CVS Caremark, discusses a variety of approaches used to stem the rise of costs associated with oncology.

The plan marks the creation of a landmark national strategy to increase public awareness of Alzheimer’s disease.

Patients with certain preexisting heart conditions, history of stroke, or those who are taking antiarrhythmic medications are being advised to use the oral MS agent Gilenya cautiously.

An FDA advisory panel has recommended Truvada as a pre-exposure prophylaxis for people at risk of contracting HIV.

Biogen Idec recently announced that United States and European Union regulatory authorities have accepted the company's marketing applications for the review of BG-12 (dimethyl fumarate), an oral therapeutic candidate for the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS).

The committee voted 8-2 to recommend approval of the investigational agent tofacitinib, and an FDA decision could come as early as August.

The Food and Drug Administration is alerting health care professionals and patients about injuries and death associated with the use of an experimental procedure sometimes called “liberation therapy” or the “liberation procedure” to treat chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency (CCSVI).

Modifying the activity of the gene that becomes mutated in Parkinson’s disease may alter disease progression.

H.D. Smith, among the nation's largest pharmaceutical wholesalers, recently announced a 3-year prime vendor agreement with PharmacyGPO, a buying group that services independent community pharmacies across the United States.

More than 75 million dollars worth of stolen medications was recently recovered from a Florida warehouse.

FDA releases a safety announcement saying that patients treated with Revlimid (lenalidomide) may be at an increased risk of developing new types of cancer.

Walgreen Co. announced that it has completed its acquisition of certain assets of BioScrip, Inc’s community specialty pharmacies and centralized specialty and mail service pharmacy businesses.

Access to food and shelter, rather than viral load count, is a better predictor of overall health among homeless HIV-infected men, according to a recent study.

Facing new agents and rising costs, payers continue to tighten their management of oncology.

Walgreens Specialty Pharmacy is adding 6 medications to its oral oncology cycle management program, in a significant expansion of the comprehensive treatment and support program it provides to benefit patients, physicians and payers.

The FDA approved Elelyso (taliglucerase alfa), the first drug ever produced in a genetically engineered plant cell.

Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation announced that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Afinitor (everolimus) tablets for the treatment of adult patients with kidney tumors known as renal angiomyolipomas and tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC), who do not require immediate surgery.

The United States Food and Drug Administration approved Votrient (pazopanib) to treat patients with advanced soft tissue sarcoma who have previously received chemotherapy. Soft tissue sarcoma is a cancer that begins in the muscle, fat, fibrous tissue, and other tissues.

The specialty drug trend is projected to rise 17.1% in 2012, 19% in 2013, and 22% in 2014.

URAC developed a specialty pharmacy accreditation program because it is one of the key distribution channels for pharmacy benefit management, and it extends URAC’s consumer protection and empowerment efforts in managed care pharmacy.

Managed Health Care Associates, Inc (MHA), announced the launch of MHA Clinical Therapy Management (CTM), a proprietary application used to assist pharmacies in the clinical management of patients utilizing specialty therapies.

Presenters from the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP) 24th Annual Meeting recently discussed the newest updates in specialty pharmacy.

Express Scripts recently announced that their new Drug Trend Report is available for download.

BioPlus Specialty Pharmacy has launched TAP App, a new proprietary, secure web-based portal that connects physicians with extensive information about their patients who are being treated through BioPlus's specialty pharmacy.

Diplomat Specialty Pharmacy, the nation's largest, privately owned specialty pharmacy, announced today that Gary Rice, RPh, a veteran specialty pharmacy executive, has joined Diplomat's executive team as vice president of clinical services.

AnaptysBio, Inc, a privately held therapeutic antibody company, recently announced a strategic partnership with Celgene Corporation to develop novel antibodies against multiple therapeutic targets.

New combination pills set to hit the market are expected to be more expensive than prior treatments.

FDA lab tests have confirmed that a counterfeit version of Roche’s Altuzan 400mg/16ml (bevacizumab), an injectable cancer medication, found in the United States contains no active ingredient.

Novartis and the Broad Institute have developed a cancer cell line encyclopedia that catalogues the genetic and molecular profiles of almost 1000 human cancer cell lines used in drug research and development.

The FTC’s approval of the highly publicized merger may depend on the divestiture of some of Medco’s assets.

The FDA today approved Omontys (peginesatide) to treat anemia, a condition in which the body does not have enough healthy red blood cells, in adult dialysis patients who have chronic kidney disease (CKD).

ARIAD Pharmaceuticals, Inc today announced its schedule of preclinical data presentations to be made at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting 2012, taking place Saturday, March 31 through Wednesday, April 4, 2012, in Chicago.

Cost-sharing practices that limit access to vital medications for West Virginians with serious health conditions may soon be alleviated thanks to a bill just introduced in Congress. The bi-partisan legislation, supported by the American College of Rheumatology, the Arthritis Foundation, and other medical and patient groups, has been introduced by Rep David B. McKinley (R,WV) and Rep Lois Capps (D,CA).

GlaxoSmithKline announced today that the Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee (ODAC) to the FDA voted 11 to 2 that evidence from clinical studies support a favorable benefit–risk assessment for use of Votrient in treating patients with advanced soft tissue sarcoma who have received prior chemotherapy.

A new letter goes out to the FTC requesting that their Express Scripts-Medco review include a careful assessment of specialty pharmacy and exclusive distribution contracts.

Randell "RJ" Correia, PharmD, Senior Vice President, Pharmacy Services, Optum Rx, addresses the rapid rise of specialty pharmacy spending. Dr. Correia discusses the possible complications health reform exchanges may cause and the impact they will have on the future of pharmacy benefit drug management.

New research from Medco Health Solutions Inc shows that many patients using oral cancer medications are also on other drugs that could reduce the effectiveness of the cancer treatment or increase its toxicity.

AmerisourceBergen acquires World Courier Group, Inc, and expands its international market reach for specialty medications.

69% of the employer groups studied in this report want more education on specialty pharmacy services.

Managed Health Care Associates, Inc. (MHA), a leading health care service company focused on alternate site health care providers, announced the completion of its fifth annual Independent Long Term Care Member Study, the results of which were released at the 2012 MHA Business Summit, March 2, 2012 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) proposed a new pathway, the "Special Population Limited Medical Use (SPLMU)" mechanism, to provide an important new approval option for companies interested in developing drugs to treat patients with serious infections where few or no treatment options exist.

Prime Therapeutics and EMD Serono entered into an agreement where patient adherence and health outcomes data determine whether or not rebates are given for a drug.

Two companies focused on delivering preventative care to individuals looking to fight chronic disease with nutrition, fitness, and bioidentical hormone therapy—Diplomat Specialty Pharmacy and Ageology—announced that they have formed a strategic alliance.

The Independent Specialty Pharmacy Coalition (ISPC), a national group of community based specialty pharmacies, recently sent a letter to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), urging the Commission to protect consumers and restrict anticompetitive conduct if it chooses to approve the proposed merger between Express Scripts, Inc (ESI) and Medco Health Solutions.

A strategy in the development of an HIV vaccine relies on a mathematical technique historically used to predict changes in the stock market.

New research suggests that using a nanorobot may be a promising method to deliver drugs directly to their targets.

Yesterday Biogen Idec announced the company has submitted a New Drug Application (NDA) to the FDA for marketing approval of BG-12 (dimethyl fumarate), the company's oral therapeutic candidate for the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS).

AIDS Action Committee adds onsite specialty HIV MOMS Pharmacy to their new drop-in center.

New data unveiled at the 17th Annual Pharmacy Benefit Management Institute Conference shows patients, health plans and employer groups can save as much as 60 percent through site-of-care optimization.

The switch from ICD-9 diagnosis and procedure codes to ICD-10 codes is postponed for certain health care entities to an undetermined date.

A new plan to eliminate waste, promote adherence, and coordinate coverage of expensive specialty medications is announced by Medco.

A severe shortage of the key medication for childhood leukemia appears to have been averted, but the problem is likely to reemerge in the future.

AstraZeneca recently announced its first direct-to-patient program offering patients with prescriptions for Arimidex (anastrozole) the opportunity to receive their medication for $40 a month through Express Scripts, a specialty pharmacy provider.

As health care costs continue to increase, and with high-cost specialty products making up a significant portion of the pipeline, the role of the Specialty Pharmacy (SP) continues to grow and influence health care decisions across multiple stakeholders.

The FDA released a statement on February 14, 2012, warning pharmacies, medical practices, and patients that a counterfeit version of the drug Avastin—an injectable drug used to treat cancer of the colon, lung, kidney, and brain—has been purchased and used by some medical practices in the United States.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently added to their list of HIV resources in the Electronic HIV/AIDS Prevention (e-Hap) portion of their website, a section which is produced with content from CDC’s Division of HIV/AIDS prevention (DHAP).

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today issued three draft guidance documents on biosimilar product development to assist industry in developing such products in the United States.

The FDA sent out a “Drug Safety Communication” from their Division of Drug Information on February 9, 2012, listing the important new drug interactions between Victrelis (boceprevir) and ritonavir-boosted HIV protease inhibitor drugs.

Show your support for World Cancer Day on February 4, 2012, by pledging to make healthier choices through the use of social media applications dedicated to the cause.

Acquisition strengthens Walgreens retail specialty pharmacy offering with access to additional drug therapies and services.

Today, Erivedge (vismodegib) was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat adult patients with basal cell carcinoma, the most common type of skin cancer.

The FDA points out the risk factors associated with using unapproved cancer injectables and issues new warnings to health care providers.

Serving a growing market, the new Specialty Pharmacy Times Website provides industry news, current clinical insights, and specialty trends and practices.

New rules will require physicians to report their financial transactions with drug companies through a public database.

Florida’s new pain management law sparks a discussion about restricting access to controlled substances.