Branded

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Fred's Super Dollar on Thursday posted $157.5 million in sales, representing a decline of 1%, for the four weeks ended March 1. Comparable store sales for the month decreased 2.2% compared with a decrease of 1.5% in the prior-year period.

“In the pharmacy department, we will continue to accelerate new pharmacy acquisitions and focus on our plan for EIRIS Health Services, Fred's specialty pharmacy unit, which is experiencing solid script and sales growth in this fast-expanding segment of the pharmacy industry," noted Bruce Efird, Fred's CEO.

LIVERPOOL, England — Study results announced Thursday by Novo Nordisk and collaborative partners found that participation in diabetes education is associated with a greater sense of well-being and the ability to self-manage diabetes.

However, more than three-quarters of people with diabetes in the United Kingdom (78%) have never attended a diabetes education program, and family members are rarely included (79%). Additionally, only 14% of healthcare professionals say that all their patients with diabetes are offered structured diabetes education classes.

WASHINGTON — The administration is seeking $4.7 billion for the Food and Drug Administration, representing a 6.8% increase, according to a report published Tuesday by the Washington Post. 

According to the report, the budget includes $25 million to register and inspect large-scale compounding pharmacies.

GREENSBORO, N.C. — Merz North America on Tuesday announced the appointment of Gregory Bass as VP managed markets. In this role, Bass will primarily be responsible for developing Merz's North American market access and reimbursement strategy to enhance patient access to Merz prescription products. Bass will join Merz's North America leadership team and will report directly to Bill Humphries, president and CEO of Merz North America.

ATLANTA — Most people who abuse prescription opioid drugs get them for free from a friend or relative — but those at highest risk of overdose are as likely to get them from a doctor’s prescription, Centers for Disease Control researchers reported Monday in a research letter, “Sources of Prescription Opioid Pain Relievers by Frequency of Past-Year Nonmedical Use: United States, 2008-2011,” in the Journal of the American Medical Association Internal Medicine.

MAPLE GROVE, Minn. — Upsher-Smith Labs on Monday introduced a new educational program created for patients living with seizure clusters, as well as their families and friends. The initiative — called Seizure Clusters Connect — uses traditional and social media to offer patients and their caregivers a community for learning and support.

WASHINGTON — In what could turn into a significant change of how retail pharmacy supplies hydrocodone combination products, the Drug Enforcement Administration last week published in the Federal Register a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to move HCPs from Schedule III to Schedule II, as recommended by the assistant secretary for Health of the department of Health and Human Services and as supported by the DEA’s evaluation of relevant data.  

READING, Mass. — Physicians Interactive, a provider of online and mobile clinical resources and solutions for healthcare professionals, and McKesson Patient Relationship Solutions, a provider of pharmaceutical manufacturer-sponsored patient adherence programs, on Tuesday announced a collaboration to jointly deliver Coupons on Demand. The new solution is designed to provide clinicians convenient access to medication cost-savings offers and adherence support through a patented web-based platform.