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NEW YORK — Bristol-Myers Squibb has officially launched its tender offer for Inhibitex, the drug maker said Friday.

Bristol said it had commenced a $2.5 billion offer to buy all outstanding shares of Inhibitex, an Alpharetta, Ga.-based company developing treatments for hepatitis C. The company's leading product is INX-189, an orally administered drug currently in phase-2 clinical trials.

Bristol announced its intention to buy Inhibitex Monday. The New York-based drug maker said it would make Inhibitex a wholly owned subsidiary following the acquisition.

HOBOKEN, N.J. — Drug maker Octapharma USA has appointed David Holliday as VP commercial development, the company said.

SAN DIEGO — A special focus on its diabetes franchise will define Amylin Pharmaceuticals' corporate strategy, the company's chief executive said at a recent conference sponsored by J.P. Morgan.

ST. LOUIS — Fleming Pharmaceuticals has sold rights of several of its products to Valeant International, Fleming said Wednesday.

Fleming announced the sale of the OTC nasal spray Ocean, the prescription kidney dialysis vitamin supplement Nephrocaps, the magnesium supplement Magonate and ProBarimin QT, a medical food product for patients who have received weight loss surgery. Financial terms were not disclosed.

PHILADELPHIA — Shire has acquired U.S. rights to a drug used to treat chronic constipation in women from Johnson & Johnson, the company said Tuesday.

Shire announced the acquisition of rights to Resolor (prucalopride) from J&J subsidiary Janssen Pharmaceuticals. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Shire acquired European rights to the drug in 2010 when it bought Belgian drug maker Movetis, which itself had acquired rights to the drug from Janssen.

ALLEGAN, Mich. — Drug maker Perrigo is buying a privately owned distributor of diabetes products, the company said Monday.

Perrigo announced the $36 million acquisition of Alpharetta, Ga.-based CanAm Care, whose assets include Dex4 hypoglycemia products, insulin delivery syringes and pen needles, lancing, wound care and compression stockings.

ALLEGAN, Mich. — Perrigo last week announced that it has received final Food and Drug Administration approval for its generic prescription allergy remedy desloratadine 5 mg, the generic equivalent to Schering-Plough's Clarinex.

Under the terms of a patent-infringement suit settlement, Perrigo can commercially launch its generic desloratadine product July 1. The new product launch may be a prescription or over-the-counter product, depending on its status at the time of launch, Perrigo stated.

SEATTLE — The Food and Drug Administration's Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee will review a resubmitted new drug application for a cancer treatment made by Cell Therapeutics.

The company said that the panel will review the NDA for pixantrone, which is designed to treat relapsed or refractory aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in patients who failed two or more lines of prior therapy.