Specialty Pharmacy

LAKE FOREST, Ill. — The Food and Drug Administration has approved a generic cancer drug from Hospira.

The drug maker announced the approval of topotecan injection for treating small-cell lung cancer sensitive disease after first-line chemotherapy has failed.

The drug is a generic version of GlaxoSmithKline’s Hycamtin, which had sales of more than $140 million in 2010, according to Hospira.

VALLEY FORGE, Pa. — AmerisourceBergen on Friday reported revenue of $19.9 billion, up 2.9%, for the first quarter ended Dec. 31.

WALTHAM, Mass. — A specialty pharmacy focused on infertility is sponsoring a giveaway campaign to attract patients to its Web-based forum.

Village Fertility Pharmacy announced Thursday that users of its Village Voices site, an online forum and repository for infertility patients to post stories and share experiences launched in late 2010, will be eligible to win weekly giveaways through the month of February. Any user who submits a story or comments on a story will be entered to win a $30 gift card for use at the pharmacy.

WASHINGTON — A bill that would make the biggest changes to patent laws in more than half a century has drawn mixed responses from the drug industry.

The bill, S. 23, The Patent Reform Act of 2011, sponsored by Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., would make the first significant changes to patent laws in 60 years.

LUTRY, Switzerland — Nestlé Health Sciences completed its acquisition of a company that develops "medical foods" for such medical conditions as kidney disease, inflammatory bowel disease and colon cancer.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Pharmacy wholesaler H.D. Smith has promoted three of its executives.

The company announced Wednesday the promotion of Joseph Conda to SVP strategic planning and business development, Robert Appleby to corporate VP prescription products and Carolyn Webb to corporate VP marketing.

WASHINGTON — A new report developed by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America revealed that nearly 300 heart disease and stroke medicines are in development.

PhRMA said that while 299 medicines are in development by the nation's biopharmaceutical companies, there is a growing need for such drugs; African-Americans have a 1.5 times greater rate of heart disease death than other Americans and a 1.8 times greater rate of fatal stroke.

RIDGEFIELD, Conn. — A coalition of companies, celebrities and health organizations has achieved its goal of screening 1 million Americans for risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Drive4COPD announced the milestone Wednesday, saying its aim was to change how COPD is addressed in the United States; Drive4COPD identified those at risk through its COPD Population Screener.