Specialty Pharmacy

PHOENIX — The wholesale arm of specialty pharmacy The Apothecary Shops has received distribution rights to a drug for treating age-related macular degeneration, the company said Thursday.

Apothecary Shops Wholesale has begun distributing Regeneron Pharmaceuticals' Eylea (aflibercept) to physicians and patients. The drug is used to treat neovascular or "wet" AMD. The "wet" form usually leads to more serious vision loss.

FOSTER CITY, Calif. — Drug maker Gilead Sciences has completed its $11.2 billion acquisition of Pharmasset, Gilead said.

The $137-per-share merger, originally announced in November 2011, makes Pharmasset a wholly owned subsidiary of Gilead. Pharmasset, based in Princeton, N.J., focuses on developing orally administered drugs for viral infections, particularly hepatitis C.

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DUBLIN — Jazz Pharmaceuticals and Azur Pharma will become one company, the two drug makers said.

The two said the it now will be a specialty biopharmaceutical company called Jazz Pharmaceuticals plc and will be based in Dublin.

ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, Fla. — Laurry Hinds has been named regional director at BioPlus Specialty Pharmacy, responsible for business development in western North Carolina, the company announced.

Hinds, a registered nurse, will focus on hepatitis C and intravenous immunoglobulin sales. IVIG is a blood product used to treat certain immune deficiencies, autoimmune diseases and acute infections.

LONDON — Patent expirations of key blockbuster drugs and efforts by payers to contain costs are likely to bring strong growth to the global generic drug market in the next few years as market-earned revenues grow by more than $100 billion, according to an analysis by research firm Frost & Sullivan.

The report, titled "Generic Pharmaceuticals Market — A Global Analysis" and focusing on the United States and Europe, also found that healthcare expenditure and sales revenues are poised to shift to India, China, Brazil, Turkey and South Korea.

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The Food and Drug Administration has provided guidance to Provectus Pharmaceuticals as the drug maker prepares to apply with the agency for approval to start a late-stage clinical trial of a drug for skin cancer, Provectus said Wednesday.

Provectus is planning to start a phase-3 trial of the investigational drug PV-10 for melanoma that has spread to other parts of the body, and said the FDA told the company that a meeting with the agency in addition to the one they had in October would not be required.

NEW YORK — Bristol-Myers Squibb has officially launched its tender offer for Inhibitex, the drug maker said Friday.

Bristol said it had commenced a $2.5 billion offer to buy all outstanding shares of Inhibitex, an Alpharetta, Ga.-based company developing treatments for hepatitis C. The company's leading product is INX-189, an orally administered drug currently in phase-2 clinical trials.

Bristol announced its intention to buy Inhibitex Monday. The New York-based drug maker said it would make Inhibitex a wholly owned subsidiary following the acquisition.

HOBOKEN, N.J. — Drug maker Octapharma USA has appointed David Holliday as VP commercial development, the company said.