Specialty Pharmacy

FRISCO, Texas — Assured Pharmacy has signed a lease for its fifth pharmacy, which will be located in Kansas City.

Subject to regulatory approval, the Kansas City pharmacy is anticipated to open during fourth quarter 2011, the specialty pharmacy group said.

ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, Fla. — As a relatively new facet of the pharmacy profession, specialty pharmacy is constantly developing, prompting the leader of one provider to go online to keep patients and physicians up to date.

HORSHAM, Pa. — A panel of experts at the Food and Drug Administration has recommended that the agency approve a drug made by Johnson & Johnson as a treatment for ulcerative colitis in children.

FRAZER, Pa. — The Food and Drug Administration has approved a risk evaluation and mitigation strategy for two painkillers made by Cephalon, the drug maker said Thursday.

The FDA approved a REMS for Fentora (fentanyl) buccal tablets and Actiq (oral transmucosal fentanyl citrate). Both drugs are used for managing breakthrough pain in cancer patients who have become tolerant of opioid drugs.

STAMFORD, Conn. — Purdue Pharma has launched a new website designed to combat abuse of prescription drugs, the company said Wednesday.

The website, RxSafetyMatters.org, is designed to help healthcare professionals, police and community organizations combat prescription drug diversion and abuse. Purdue is the developer of OxyContin (oxycodone), an extended-release painkiller that is frequently a target of drug abusers.

NEW YORK — Patients taking an investigative antidepressant undergoing late-stage clinical development showed “significant” improvement, according to study results released Monday.

Forest Labs and Pierre Fabre Medicament announced results of a phase-3 trial of levomilnacipran in adults with major depressive disorder. Results showed a statistically significant improvement in patients treated with the drug, compared with those taking placebo.

BRISTOL, Tenn. — The Food and Drug Administration has approved a drug made by Graceway Pharmaceuticals for actinic keratoses, Graceway said.

The agency approved Zyclara (imiquimod) cream in the 2.5% strength for AK, a precancerous lesion that affects about 10 million Americans and can develop into skin cancer later on.

INDIANAPOLIS — A statin made by Eli Lilly and Kowa Pharmaceuticals America appears to work well with drugs used to treat HIV, according to a study presented at the sixth International AIDS Society conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention in Rome.

The study was designed to investigate potential interactions between Livalo (pitavastatin) and Abbott’s antiretroviral protease inhibitor Kaletra (lopinavir and ritonavir). The study found that each drug had only a minimal effect on the other.