News Briefs

Coram, CVS Specialty Infusion Services, in Albany, N.Y. is set to close its doors at 12 Jupiter Lane.

In a notice on June 1, the New York State Department of Labor’s Office of dislocated workers program stated that the business will be permanently closing its Albany facility, affecting a total of 70 employees.

Separations will occur during the 14-day period starting on Sept. 4, 2022. The closing date is Sept. 18, 2022, according to the NYS Department of Labor.

The department cited "economic" as the reason for the closure of the clinic.

Commenting on the closure, a CVS spokesperson provided the following statement, "As the leading health solutions company, we use our unique combination of assets to lower costs, increase access to care and improve health outcomes. We regularly review operations to focus resources as efficiently as possible and pivot when necessary to invest in healthcare services and solutions that will make the greatest impact. After a recent review, we’ve decided to focus more resources on patients who receive infusion services for specialty medications and limit the delivery of acute infusion services (such as infused antibiotics and total parenteral nutrition)."

The statement continued, "As a result, we are closing the Coram pharmacy location in Albany, New York. Patient safety and continuity of care remain of utmost importance to us. We have a comprehensive transition plan in place for any patient affected by these changes. A dedicated team will work directly with impacted patients to help them find a new provider and seamlessly transition their care."

"We will also work to help any impacted colleagues find other suitable roles within Coram or CVS Health and will provide career transition support for those who are not able to do so," CVS Health said. 

The statement concluded, "The market for infusion services for specialty medications continues to see sustained growth. Coram has been a leading provider of infusion services for specialty medication for over 30 years and is uniquely positioned to continue to meet the needs of this growing market and service our patients in a more targeted, resourced way."

There’s a brand-new Twix bar hitting shelves this year.

The Newark, N.J.-based company is showcasing its new cookie dough bar, which features a creamy cookie dough-flavored layer, chocolate cookie bits and a milk chocolate coating.

Although the bar will officially be available for purchase in December, Twix is giving away 1,000 exclusive first-taste samples to Mars candy fans in celebration of National Cookie Dough Day on June 21.

“Mars is thrilled to announce Twix cookie dough as our newest flavor innovation,” said Michelle Deignan, Mars Wrigley senior brand director. “Twix cookie dough is the perfect mashup of two fan favorites — our classic Twix bar and the nostalgic flavors of cookie dough — all wrapped into one. We're looking forward to making superfans happy with an exclusive first taste now, in celebration of National Cookie Dough Day, and then to sharing Twix cookie dough with all fans when it hits shelves later this year.”

In December, Twix’s cookie dough bar will be available in a 1.36-oz. single size bar, 2.27-oz. share bar and minis stand-up pouches.

Lenny & Larry’s has launched a brand new protein bar that contains 18 g of dairy, plant protein and probiotics.

The Boss! Immunity Bar features crunchy wafer layers woven with a creamy filling and covered in chocolatey goodness, the company said.

Available in four flavors — peanut butter cup, chocolate mint brownie, caramel macchiato and maple French toast — the non-GMO bars contain probiotic ingredients to help support immune health and protein utilization, as well as 2 g of sugar, and have no artificial flavors or sweeteners.

Currently, Lenny & Larry’s the Boss! Immunity Bars are available online in a four-count box that retails for $7.99.

 

The National Community Pharmacists Association and the American Pharmacists Association  announced today that they have voluntarily dismissed a lawsuit dating back to the previous administration. The two groups were the lead plaintiffs in the federal case against the secretary of Health and Human Services.

“We’ve been fighting in Congress for years to end retroactive pharmacy DIR fees and lower prescription costs for seniors and protect small business pharmacies. We’ve been working with HHS and CMS for years on a regulatory solution, and more than a year ago we strategically filed a lawsuit in case the other two roads were blocked,” said NCPA CEO Douglas Hoey. “We are cautiously optimistic that the new Part D rule satisfies the goals we had for the lawsuit.”

We’ll be watching closely to see how the rule is implemented and whether PBMs comply or try to game the system. If they don’t, we reserve the right to return to court,” he said.

“Shutting down our legal challenge doesn’t end our fight for justice for pharmacies from unfair PBM practices,” said APhA interim executive vice president and CEO Ilisa Bernstein. “We know the final rule benefits patients and increases transparency, but time will tell if it also benefits our nation’s pharmacists.”

NCPA filed the lawsuit in the closing days of the Trump administration after multiple administrations had failed to address retroactive pharmacy DIR fees. The group was joined shortly thereafter by APhA and several other plaintiffs.

Pharmacy DIR, which stands for Direct and Indirect Remunerations, is a catchall term used to describe various price concessions required from pharmacies by PBMs in order to participate in the Medicare Part D program. Those concessions have grown by more than 107,000% since 2010, according to CMS, and wind up inflating seniors’ share of their prescription drug costs. They also are assessed retroactively, often months after the transaction, making it impossible for pharmacies to keep up with and predict the cost of these transactions. The litigation took aim at the retroactive nature of these fees, which NCPA and APhA hope will end due to the recent changes in CMS policy.

Mamitas Hard Seltzer is getting ready for summer by launching two new flavors of its beverages, which are made with tequila.

A play on popular cocktails, the brand presents Spicy Marg and Tequila Sunrise drinks, which join the previously launched Paloma, lime, mango and pineapple varieties.

The Spicy Marg has a margarita body with a light cayenne kick and Tequila Sunrise tastes like a lighter-flavored version of the classic cocktail.

Made with 100% real tequila, each naturally gluten-free drink contains less than 1.5 g of sugar, 5% ABV and 95 calories, the company said.

Mamitas Hard Seltzer is available in an eight-count variety pack that retails from $17.99 to $21.99, a four-count pack from $9.99 to $12.99 and single 12-oz. cans that retail from $5 to $7. The classic flavors can be found on Drizly, as well as at Target, Walmart, Kroger and Publix among other retailers.

The National Community Pharmacists Association is hailing a move by the Federal Trade Commission to proceed with a 6(b) study of pharmacy benefit managers and anti-competitive business practices.

After the commission in February split 2-2 on a proposal to launch a formal study into PBMs, FTC chair Lina Khan pledged to call for another vote on the issue.

“PBMs behave like monopolies. Their secretive, anticompetitive practices increase prescription drug prices, limit consumer choice and stymie competition. They’ve escaped serious scrutiny for far too long, but this study will bring their dirty laundry out into the open,” said NCPA CEO Doug Hoey.

The vote comes after Alvaro Bedoya, who was sworn in as commissioner in May, joined Khan and all commissioners in voting to support the investigation. This will make the six largest PBMs (CVS Caremark; Express Scripts; OptumRx; Humana; Prime Therapeutics; and MedImpact Healthcare Systems) hand over information on PBM business practices, including fees and clawbacks charged to unaffiliated pharmacies, patient-steering, audits of independent pharmacies, reimbursement and more, the organization said. 

“NCPA has repeatedly called on the FTC to scrutinize PBM practices and thousands of community pharmacy owners and their allies have shared with the FTC their examples of the impact health insurer-owned PBMs have on consumer costs and access to prescription drugs contributing to the FTC decision to do the 6(b) study. These examples have made a difference. We’re grateful to chair Khan and the commissioners for considering these concerns and approving this study, which we hope will result in meaningful reforms to merger and acquisition reviews and, of course, to the insurer-PBMs themselves.,” said Hoey.