Branded

The overall growth in drug spending for 2010 was 3.7%, according to the latest drug trend report by pharmacy benefit manager Medco Health Solutions. The lower increase 
was primarily due to higher rates of generic drug dispensing — more than 71% of drugs dispensed were generics. 


TITUSVILLE, N.J. — Johnson & Johnson is recalling 40,000 bottles of a drug used to treat schizophrenia due to consumer reports of the drug having a strange odor, the company said Friday.

J&J subsidiary Ortho-McNeil-Janssen Pharmaceuticals announced the voluntary recall of one lot of Risperdal (risperidone) tablets in the 3-mg strength and a lot of authorized generic risperidone tablets in the 2-mg strength made by Patriot Pharmaceuticals, also a J&J subsidiary.

SILVER SPRING, Md. — The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday informed the public that continued use of a Type 2 diabetes treatment made by Takeda Pharmaceuticals for more than one year may be associated with an increased risk of bladder cancer.

LAKE MARY, Fla. — Specialty pharmacy provider Axium Healthcare Pharmacy has introduced two recently approved hepatitis C drugs to its HepVisions therapy management program, the company said Thursday.

Axium announced the addition of Merck ’s Victrelis (boceprevir) and Vertex Pharmaceuticals’ Incivek (telaprevir) to the program, through which it provides comprehensive compliance support, patient education, side effect management, clinical interventions and communication with the patient and physician.

PARIS — French drug maker Sanofi has entered a collaboration with Audion Therapeutics to develop treatments for hearing loss.

Sanofi announced the collaboration Thursday, which will utilize technology that Audion co-founder Albert Edge developed at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary in the Eaton-Peabody Laboratory. Sanofi will have the option of licensing technology rights from Audion related to research conducted under the collaboration.

SILVER SPRING, Md. — The Food and Drug Administration has approved a new drug for preventing organ rejection in kidney transplant patients, the agency said Wednesday.

The FDA approved Bristol-Myers Squibb’s Nulojix (belatacept), for preventing acute rejection in adult patients. The drug is approved for use with other immune system-suppressing drugs, specifically Novartis’ Simulect (basiliximab), Genentech’s CellCept (mycophenolate mofetil) and corticosteroids.

INDIANAPOLIS — A new oral medication for Type 2 diabetes made by Eli Lilly and Boehringer Ingelheim has become available in pharmacies, the companies said Wednesday.

Lilly and BI announced the availability of Tradjenta (linagliptin) in chain and independent pharmacies around the country.

MADISON, Miss. — The Food and Drug Administration has approved two cough-cold medications made by Cypress Pharmaceutical, the company said Monday.

Cypress announced the approval of Zutripro (hydrocodone bitartrate, chlorpheniramine maleate and pseudoephedrine hydrochloride) and Rezira (hydrocodone bitartrate and pseudoephedrine). Both drugs are oral solutions and, because they contain the opioid hydrocodone, are classified as schedule III controlled substances by the Drug Enforcement Administration. Cypress subsidiary Hawthorn Pharmaceuticals will market the drugs.