New Products

ST. LOUIS — Purina Dog Chow brand dog food this week launched nationwide its new Light & Healthy formula, a new option to help maintain a dog's ideal weight, without giving up portion size or taste.

PITTSBURGH — Mylan has launched a generic drug for treating cholesterol problems, the company said Monday.

Mylan announced the launch of generic fenofibric acid delayed-release capsules in the 45-mg and 135-mg strengths.

The drug is a generic version of Abbott's Trilipix, designed for use in combination with statin drugs and diet to reduce triglycerides and increase high-density lipoprotein or "good" cholesterol.

Various versions of the drug had sales of about $553.6 million during the 12-month period that ended in March, according to IMS Health.

PARSIPPANY, N.J. — The Food and Drug Administration has approved a generic opioid painkiller made by Actavis, the drug maker said.

HAIFA, Israel — Self-reported medication adherence rates increased among Type 2 diabetes patients using a mobile app, the maker of the app said Monday.

MediSafe Project said it reviewed adherence rates among Type 2 diabetic users of its app, finding compliance rates at least 26% higher than the generate rate for long-term diabetes therapies, which the World Health Organization reports as 50%. A January 2013 study of the app, which the company launched in November 2012, found similar rates.

PARSIPPANY, N.J. — Actavis is looking to become the first to market a generic drug for epilepsy, the company said Friday.

Actavis announced that it had filed with the Food and Drug Administration for lacosamide tablets in the 50-mg, 100-mg, 150-mg and 200-mg strengths. The drug is a generic version of UBC's Vimpat and is used to treat partial-onset seizures in epilepsy patients aged 17 and older.

SILVER SPRING, Md. — The Food and Drug Administration has approved a new lung cancer drug made by Boehringer Ingelheim, the agency said Friday.

The FDA announced the approval of Gilotrif (afatinib) for patients with non-small cell lung cancer that has spread to other parts of the body and whose tumors include certain epidermal growth factor receptor gene mutations. The drug works by blocking proteins that promote the development of cancer cells.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — A developer of revenue and payment cycle management and clinical information exchange software is expanding its payment network.

Emdeon announced Friday that it would expand the capabilities of the Emdeon Payment Network, a large, automated payment distribution system for the healthcare industry. The expansion includes the recent opening of a new 100,000-sq.-ft. facility in St. Louis dedicated to supporting the network, which currently reaches about 60,000 pharmacies, 500,000 providers, 81,000 dentists, 1,200 hospitals and 300 labs.

TARRYTOWN, N.Y. — Prestige Brands is the first over-the-counter manufacturer to adopt an "energy shot" format in an effort to infuse differentiation into the brand. And while Goody's Headache Relief Shot may stand out on store shelves as one of the first liquid analgesics targeting adults, it will not stay on those shelves for long. Sales of Goody's Headache Powder already were up 9.4% to $37.5 million for the 52 weeks ended May 19 across total U.S. multi-outlet, according to IRI data, well outpacing category growth of 0.2%.