Guidelines

The Food and Drug Administration has approved a new indication for Pfizer’s Bosulif (bosutinib). The drug is now indicated to treat patients with newly diagnosed chronic-phase Philadelphia chromosome-positive chronic myelogenous leukemia, or Ph+ CML. The approval marks the third approval for hematology in five months for Pfizer, the New York City-based company said.

Amneal Pharmaceuticals has launched sevelamer carbonate tablets, 800 mg, in 270-count bottles. This generic from the Bridgewater, N.J.-based company is an AB-rated therapeutic equivalent to Renvela.

Amneal also launched five other products in addition to sevelamer carbonate:

The latest has been reported upon in Walgreens Flu Index. The weekly report which was developed to provide state and market-specific information regarding flu activity has all signs pointing to Texas once again.

For the second week in a row, The Flu Index is reporting that the Lone Star state is holding the top spot for flu activity for the week ending Dec. 16.

The AmerisourceBergen Foundation has announced the launch of a municipal support program aimed towards the safe disposal of opioids. The Valley Forge, Pa.-based company aims to do this by providing communities nationwide with resources to deactivate expired or unused medications.

The Food and Drug Administration recently approved Pfizer’s Ixifi (infliximab-qbtx), the company’s second approved biosimilar of Janssen’s Remicade. The biosimilar was approved for all of Remicade’s indications, including Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, rheumatoid arthritis and plaque psoriasis, among others.

The approval follows the April 2016 launch of its first Remicade biosimilar Inflectra. According to reports, Pfizer has said it has no plans to launch Ixifi in the United States.

The Meningitis B Action Project launched earlier this month with a cross-country campaign initiated by two mothers who each lost their young, healthy daughters to Meningitis B five years ago. The Project aims to provide parents and young adults with the information to proactively talk to their healthcare provider about Meningitis B and the vaccine available to help prevent it, and to encourage the medical and education community to inform patients and students about the availability of the Meningitis B vaccine.

The Food and Drug Administration has approved Mumbai-based Lupin’s Tydemy. The product is a generic version of Bayer’s Safyral (drospirenone, ethinyl estradiol, and levomefolate calcium tablets, 3 mg/0.03 mg/0.451 mg and levomefolate calcium tablets, 0.451 mg).

Tydemi is indicated as a contraceptive against pregnancy. The product had U.S. sales of approximately $22.9 million for the 12 months ended October 2017, according to data from IQVIA

An elderly patient comes home from a doctor visit with a new set of prescriptions to manage her high blood pressure. The new meds are added to her already crowded daily regimen, but the first week is fine, in part because the patient has family members in town who help her adjust to the new medications.

But then the family leaves, and the patient struggles to remember the correct dose of her medication and when to take it. Not long after, she suffers a mild stroke and is rushed to the hospital.