Branded

ATLANTA — The Food and Drug Administration has approved a drug made by UCB for treating a form of arthritis.

The drug maker said Friday that the FDA had approved Cimzia (certolizumab pegol) for adults with active ankylosing spondylitis, though it declined to approve the drug for axial spondyloarthritis, or axSpA. UCB said it was working with the agency to determine how to get the drug approved for axSpA.

CARLISLE, Pa. — Giant Food Stores and Martin's Food Markets — collectively known as Giant-Carlisle — will sponsor drug take-back events at more than three dozen stores next weekend.

The Ahold USA-owned supermarket banner said customers could bring expired and unwanted drugs to 42 stores on Oct. 26; 40 of the stores are in Pennsylvania, and two are in Virginia.

CINCINNATI — Prasco Labs will distribute an authorized generic for reducing serum phosphate in patients with end-stage renal disease under a contract with Shire, Prasco said Thursday.

The company, which focuses on authorized generic drugs, announced the deal for lanthanum carbonate chewable tablets in the 500-mg, 750-mg and 1,000-mg strengths. The drug is a version of Shire's Fosrenol. Authorized generics are branded drugs marketed under their generic names at a discounted price, usually through a third-party company under contract with the branded drug's manufacturer.

BAGSVÆRD, Denmark — The Food and Drug Administration has approved a new drug made by Novo Nordisk for treating hemophilia A, the Danish drug maker said.

Novo Nordisk announced the approval of Novoeight (turoctocog alfa), a recombinant coagulation factor VIII, for adults and children with hemophilia, a disease caused by factor VIII deficiency that results in uncontrollable bleeding.

WASHINGTON — Nearly two dozen women with heart disease will educate their communities about heart disease in women.

NEW YORK — Contrary to the pharmaceutical industry’s commonly-held belief that active Rx and OTC brand consumers are harder to find online than offline, a new study released Tuesday reveals that the online audience is just as active — and for select categories, more active — than the general population.

LEBANON, N.H. — Medicare beneficiaries' use of medications — both effective and risky — varies widely across different regions of the United States, according to a new report.

DEERFIELD, Ill. — The 2012-2013 flu season was one of the most severe in the United States in more than a decade and, according to a new study, had two to three times the impact than a more typical flu season on the workplace, school, family and other segments of people’s everyday lives. A new report from Walgreens released Wednesday suggests U.S. adults missed 230 million work days last season, while children lost more than 90 million school days due to flu-related illness.