Regulatory and Washington

WASHINGTON — Global perspectives on scientific, regulatory and technical developments in product safety, health and well-being will be the feature as hundreds of experts from the consumer packaged goods industry meet Wednesday at the Grocery Manufacturers Association Science Forum.

WASHINGTON — Three high school seniors from Topeka, Kan., won a contest that sponsors hope will lead to better health outcomes while also getting young people interested in pharmacy careers.

JERUSALEM — The Food and Drug Administration has approved a new contraceptive therapy made by Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, Teva said Monday.

The drug maker announced the approval of Quartette (levonorgestrel, ethinyl estradiol and ethinyl estradiol) tablets. Teva said the drug represented the "next generation" of extended-regimen oral contraceptives and was designed to minimize breakthrough bleeding between scheduled periods.

PARSIPPANY, N.J. — GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare today commended the proposals by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration after the administration announced recommendations to remove certain warning statements and modifications of the instructions for use of nicotine replacement therapy products.

According to the statement released by GSK Consumer Healthcare:

PARSIPPANY, N.J. — Just a week after the Supreme Court heard the Federal Trade Commission's lawsuit over its deal with AbbVie to sell a generic version of a testosterone-replacement therapy, Actavis is challenging the patent on another strength of the drug.

Actavis said Monday that it had filed with the Food and Drug Administration for approval of testosterone gel in the 1.62% strength. The drug is a generic version of AbbVie's AndroGel 1.62%. The case that went before the Supreme Court on March 25 concerns the 1% strength of AndroGel.

AURORA, Colo. — A Colorado-based firm will install solar power systems at 22 Walgreens stores in 14 cities in the state over the next few months, under a partnership between the two companies.

Walgreens announced Monday an expansion of its relationship with SolarCity, saying the new power systems would reduce more than 47.5 million pounds of carbon dioxide emissions over the next two decades.

ATLANTA — Coca-Cola has filed a patent application with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for a new sugar-free beverage with added fiber, according to a report from the Atlanta Business Chronicle.

SILVER SPRING, Md. — The Food and Drug Administration has approved a new drug made by Johnson & Johnson for treating Type 2 diabetes, the agency said.

The FDA announced the approval of J&J subsidiary Janssen Pharmaceuticals' Invokana (canagliflozin) tablets, designed for use with diet and exercise to improve blood-sugar control in adults with the disease.