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WASHINGTON — Aftershocks from last year's nationwide outbreak of fungal meningitis linked to a Massachusetts-based compounding pharmacy continued to be felt in a House subcommittee meeting Thursday.

The House Energy and Commerce Committee Subcommittee on Health convened a hearing to examine the state of pharmacy compounding in the United States and the current regulatory environment under which it operates.

WOODCLIFF LAKE, N.J. — Generic drug maker Par Pharmaceutical Cos. has started shipping an authorized generic version of a heart-disease medication made by AstraZeneca.

Par said it had entered into an agreement with AstraZeneca to supply authorized generic Atacand (candesartan cilexetil) and had begun shipping the drug in the 4 mg, 8 mg, 16 mg and 32 mg strengths. Atacand has annual sales of about $113 million, according to IMS Health, and is used to treat certain kinds of heart failure and high blood pressure in children and adults.

DUBLIN — Irish drug maker Elan Corp. is paying about $380 million to buy one drug maker and a large stake in another, the company said.

Elan announced plans to buy Vienna-based AOP Orphan Pharmaceuticals for about $340 million, a company that specializes in drugs for rare conditions in a variety of areas, including cancer, neurology and metabolic disorders. Elan also paid an initial $40 million to buy a 48% stake in Newbridge Pharmaceuticals, based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Elan will have the option to buy the rest of the company for $244 million by 2015.

PASADENA, Calif. — A new vaccine against pneumococcal disease appears as safe as an older one, according to a new study.

The study, conducted by Kaiser Permanente and published Wednesday in the journal Vaccine, compared the new 13-valent vaccine with the seven-valent one used before 2010. The Food and Drug Administration approved the newer vaccine, called PCV13, in 2010 after a series of trials. The valent number refers to the number of varieties of pneumococcal disease the vaccine prevents.

HAYWARD, Calif. — Impax Labs has launched an authorized generic drug for migraine headaches under a partnership with AstraZeneca, Impax said.

Impax said its generics division, Global Pharmaceuticals, began shipping authorized generic zolmitriptan tablets and orally disintegrating tablets in the 2.5 mg and 5 mg strengths. The drug is a version of AstraZeneca's Zomig.

Zomig had sales of about $196 million during the 12-month period that ended in April, according to IMS Health.

ROSEMONT, Pa. — Drug maker Duchesnay USA has launched a new treatment for morning sickness, the company said Tuesday.

BASKING RIDGE, N.J. — A subsidiary of drug maker Mylan is sponsoring a campaign to draw attention to severe allergic reactions.

Mylan Specialty announced the Raise Your Hand for Anaphylaxis Awareness campaign, hiring actress Julie Bowen as a celebrity spokeswoman. The campaign will invite people to virtually "raise their hands" for their school districts by visiting www.Anaphylaxis101.com; four winning school districts will receive grants of $15,000 to support educational programs.

PITTSBURGH — A federal appellate court has ruled in favor of Mylan in a case involving a drug for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, the drug maker said Tuesday.

Mylan said that the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit had reversed a lower court's decision invalidating five patents held by subsidiary Mylan Specialty for Perforomist (formoterol fumarate) in a case filed in 2007 against Dainippon Sumitomo Pharma subsidiary Sunovion Pharmaceuticals over the drug Brovana (arformoterol tartrate).