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RIDGEFIELD, Conn. — A drug used to prevent stroke in patients with a form of atrial fibrillation has won preferred Tier 2 formulary status with pharmacy benefit managers Medco Health Solutions and CVS Caremark.

Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals announced Monday that CVS Caremark and Medco had added Pradaxa (dabigatran etexilate mesylate) capsules to their commercial preferred drug lists, and Medco had added the drug to its Part D drug list.

ST. LOUIS — Drug maker Fleming Pharmaceuticals is increasing production of a drug for preventing thyroid cancer in response to the nuclear crisis in Japan.

The drug, ThyroShield (potassium iodide), is designed for use in nuclear emergencies and works by saturating the thyroid gland so that it can’t absorb radioactive iodine.

DANBURY, Conn. — A drug maker focused on development and commercialization of diabetes treatments unveiled its accelerating clinical development plans of two drug candidates.

Biodel said BIOD-105 and BIOD-107, known as ultra rapid-acting insulins, are designed to result in more rapid insulin action, compared with currently marketed mealtime insulin analogs.

NEW YORK — "Fake drugs are a big threat and an exploding threat," Kumar Kibble, deputy director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, told the news program "60 Minutes" in a segment that appeared Sunday night.

FOSTER CITY, Calif. — Drug maker Gilead acknowledged the receipt of an unsolicited mini-tender offer by TRC Capital.

Gilead said that TRC seeks to purchase up to 3 million shares of the company at a price of $37.25 per share, or about $111.75 million. The drug maker said it is recommending shareholders reject the bid, stating that the offer is priced below the current market price for Gilead shares and is subject to numerous conditions. As of March 2, TRC's offer price represented approximately a 4.56% discount to the $39.03 closing price of Gilead common stock.

WASHINGTON — By 2015, “pharmacists will be the healthcare professionals responsible for providing patient care that ensures optimal medication therapy outcomes.” That was the consensus reached in the Joint Commission of Pharmacy Practitioners' vision statement at the Pharmacy Technician Certification Board’s Consumer Awareness, Resources, Education, State Policy and Testing Summit last month.

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. — GlaxoSmithKline said it is establishing a dedicated team to support community pharmacists and other healthcare professionals.

Effective March 28, GSK said its community pharmacy liaisons will provide information and tools to help community pharmacists communicate with their patients about chronic diseases and the appropriate use of medicines and vaccines.

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — A late-stage trial of a biologic treatment for Type 1 diabetes appears to have failed, according to results announced Friday.