News Briefs

Janssen has received the green light from the Food and Drug Administration for Tecvayli (teclistamab-cqyv) for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma, who previously received four or more prior lines of therapy, including a proteasome inhibitor, immunomodulatory drug and anti-CD38 monoclonal antibody.

Tecvayli is a first-in-class, bispecific T-cell engager antibody that is administered as a subcutaneous treatment. This off-the-shelf (or ready-to-use) therapy uses innovative science to activate the immune system by binding to the CD3 receptor expressed on the surface of T-cells and to the B-cell maturation antigen expressed on the surface of multiple myeloma cells and some healthy B-lineage cells.

Tecvayli is Janssen's fourth approved treatment for multiple myeloma.

"We are greatly encouraged by the FDA's approval of teclistamab and Janssen's commitment to the multiple myeloma community," said Michael Andreini, president and CEO of the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation. "Multiple myeloma is a life-threatening disease with considerable unmet need, and teclistamab is an important new treatment option for patients who have faced multiple relapses."

"Today's achievement, which marks an important addition to our diverse and growing oncology portfolio, strengthens our resolve to discover and develop much-needed cancer treatments for patients and physicians," said Peter Lebowitz, global therapeutic area head, oncology at Janssen research and development. "The approval of Tecvayli, which demonstrated an overall response rate of more than 60% in heavily pretreated patients, underscores our commitment to translate science into medicines as we strive toward our goal of one day eliminating this disease."

"In the pivotal teclistamab study, we have continued to observe positive results in heavily pretreated patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma," said Ajai Chari, professor of medicine, division of hematology and medical oncology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and study investigator. "As a clinician and researcher, I see first-hand the human toll of this incurable disease. The approval of teclistamab, as the first bispecific antibody in relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma, is a meaningful step in helping many of these hard-to-treat patients."

Food Lion To Go is growing in Maryland, North Carolina and Virginia. The grocer’s pickup service will expand to an additional 27 locations throughout the three states, with customers’ first pickup on the house. 

With the addition of the 27 stores, Food Lion To Go is now available at 630 locations in the grocer’s 10-state footprint. Customers over the age of 21 can also purchase beer and wine where allowed by law.

“With some of the busiest months ahead for our customers, we are excited to expand this convenient service to more stores in the Food Lion footprint so our customers can spend more time on what matters most to them,” said Evan Harding, director of digital and e-commerce at Food Lion. “With the Food Lion to Go service, we provide our neighbors the option to shop through the channel they prefer, in-store or online, still ensuring they have access to the freshest groceries at affordable prices.”

This story originally appeared on Progressive Grocer. 

Mark Anthony Brands, the parent company of White Claw and Mike’s Hard, is entering the quickly growing tequila and spirits-based, ready-to-drink beverage category with Rey Azul.

Rey Azul is a line of canned tequila sodas that are made with tequila that uses blue agave grown in Jalisco, Mexico, and is produced with a second-generation family owned agave farm and distillery, the company said.

Available in four flavors — mango, lime, pineapple and grapefruit — each is additive-free, does not contain gluten and comes in at 100 calories with a 5% ABV per serving.

Rey Azul is available for purchase in 12 states and is expanding to another 27 states throughout this fall. 

Solawave is expanding its portfolio beyond the skin tool category with its new Hydrating Sheet Masks.

The plant-based mask, which uses thick biodegradable paper that ensures a steady grip on the face, deeply hydrates the skin.

Featuring niacinamide 2% and provitamin B5 to hydrate and activate collagen production, hyaluronic acid to replenish the skin with moisture, and avocado peptides to strengthen and hydrate the skin, the mask leaves users with plump and rejuvenated skin, the brand said.

Designed to be used before the Solawave Wand, consumers can find the Hydrating Sheet Mask available for purchase online for $9.

Pharmacy retailer Walgreens is piloting a new pickup option in three states, aiming to give customers faster access to the chain’s private label products.

Pickup orders made online at Walgreens.com/pickup or through the Walgreens app that are not ready in 30 minutes or less will be eligible for a refund on the order up to $50. The new pickup offering will be available at all Walgreens locations in all New Mexico and Oklahoma, with select markets such as Austin, Dallas and San Antonio, Texas.

To qualify for a potential refund, customers must have received “Ready” notification at least 31 minutes past the time their order was placed based on Walgreens server clock. Refunds are not eligible for gift cards, alcohol, prescription or photo pickup orders.

This story originally appeared on Store Brands. 

Animal is expanding the distribution of its Animal Pak 44 to Walmart stores.

The Animal Pak 44 multivitamin pack contains more than 60-packed nutrients designed to help users achieve optimum body and fitness performance, the company said.

“Animal and Walmart are both committed to providing best-in-class products to their customers. This collaboration demonstrates that the quest for fitness is universal. Our expansion to Walmart is the perfect example of our mission to bring world-class sports nutrition to even more consumers, in-store and online,” said Jad Khairallah, senior vice president of marketing of Universal Nutrition.

The launch of the product’s distribution to retail stores follows the brand’s previous launch on the retailer’s website, the company said.