Specialty Pharmacy

WAUKESHA, Wis. — Over-the-counter products across the front-end are becoming a more and more important profit driver for independent pharmacy operators, Hamacher Resource Group and the Healthcare Distribution Management Association revealed Wednesday as part of new research titled "Independent Pharmacy Shoppers: Who, What, and Why?" The report places a spotlight on the independent pharmacy front-end customer and helps identify shopper behaviors, purchase preferences and potential barriers that stand in the way of further engagement with independents.

WALNUT CREEK, Calif. — Aetna is offering individual health insurance plans to Costco members in California, the health insurer said.

The Costco Personal Health Insurance program includes five plans and offers broad medical benefits, dental options and a large network of doctors and hospitals. The program also is available to members of the club retailer in Arizona, Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Texas and Virginia. Aetna plans to expand the program to other markets in the coming months.

NEW YORK — The battle against biogenerics is on, noted a report published in The New York Times Tuesday.  As many as eight states have introduced legislation that would restrict generic competition of biological pharamceuticals so far this year and one, the Virginia House of Delegates, already passed such a measure by a 91-to-6 vote. 

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — The Food and Drug Administration has accepted a regulatory approval application from Genzyme for an experimental treatment for multiple sclerosis, the company said Monday.

Genzyme, a division of French drug maker Sanofi, said the FDA accepted its application seeking approval for Lemtrada (alemtuzumab) for relapsing MS. The company expects the agency to decide whether to approve the drug in the second half of this year.

THE WOODLANDS, Texas — McKesson Specialty Health and the U.S. Oncology Network on Friday announced that Marcus Neubauer accepted the position of medical director of oncology services for McKesson Specialty Health, effective March 1. 

SILVER SPRING, Md. — The Food and Drug Administration has approved a Novartis drug for treating leukemia in children.

The FDA said Friday that it approved Gleevec (imatinib) for treating children newly diagnosed with Philadelphia chromosome-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia, also known as Ph+ ALL.

SILVER SPRING, Md. — The Food and Drug Administration has approved a new use for a cancer drug made by Roche unit Genentech, the agency said.

The FDA announced the approval of Avastin (bevacizumab) combined with fluoropyrimidine-irinotecan or fluoropyrimidine-oxaliplatin chemotherapy for treating colorectal cancer that has spread to other parts of the body, also known as metastatic colorectal cancer, or mCRC.

The drug is also approved for treating lung cancer, kidney cancer and brain cancer.

PHILADELPHIA — Five pharmacies dominated prescription drug dispensing revenues in the United States last year, according to a new study.

The proprietary study, by the Drug Channels Institute, found that pharmacy retailers CVS Caremark, Walgreens, Rite Aid, Walmart and pharmacy benefit manager Express Scripts accounted for 63% of all prescription drug revenues in the $276.5 billion U.S. pharmacy industry in 2012.