Specialty Pharmacy

DUBLIN — Mallinckrodt and Cadence Pharmaceuticals on Tuesday announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement under which a subsidiary of Mallinckrodt will commence a tender offer to acquire all outstanding shares of Cadence Pharmaceuticals for $14.00 per share in cash or approximately $1.3 billion on a fully diluted basis, which represents a 32% premium to the trailing 30-trading-day volume weighted average price of $10.62 per share for Cadence Pharmaceuticals.

PLANO, Texas — The Pharmacy Benefit Management Institute recently released its Specialty Drug Benefit Report, sponsored by Walgreens Specialty Pharmacy. The 2014 edition highlights trends important to specialty pharmacy, including emerging cost-control strategies and challenges affecting benefit design and patient care. 

DEERFIELD, Ill. — In collaboration with the National Minority AIDS Council, Walgreens is furthering its commitment to improve HIV treatment outcomes for African Americans living with HIV by deepening pharmacists’ training and expanding access to the pneumococcal vaccination specifically indicated for persons living with HIV as incidents of flu and pneumonia rise, the retailer announced Tuesday.

WASHINGTON — The Generic Pharmaceutical Association on Tuesday announced its support of Georgia SB 370, introduced by pharmacist and Sen. Buddy Carter, R-Ga. District 1,  because it will allow unimpeded patient access to interchangeable biologics. The bill mirrors current pharmacy practice for interchangeable generic substitution language, and is aligned with Food and Drug Administration definitions, the association noted.

ROCKVILLE, Md. — Women who take aspirin daily may reduce their risk of ovarian cancer by 20%, according to a study by scientists at the National Cancer Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health. 

The study was published Feb. 6 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

A new and possibly transformative technology for rapidly diagnosing and evaluating patients based on their specific genetic profile may soon begin appearing at retail pharmacies and clinics, giving pharmacists and clinicians another tool for advancing patient health outcomes and their own practice capabilities.

Dr. Anita Goel, M.D., Ph.D.

Selecting a doctor can be a frustrating process filled with too many unknowns, especially in today’s evolving landscape. Looking to help patients take the guesswork out of finding the ideal doctor, Vitals has developed online tools at Vitals.com to give patients visibility into quality, cost and availability.