Specialty Pharmacy

HOLZKIRCHEN, Germany — Drug maker Sandoz has started a late-stage clinical trial of a biotech drug used to treat autoimmune disorders, the company said.

Sandoz, the generics division of Swiss drug maker Novartis, announced the start of a phase-3 clinical trial of biosimilar adalimumab. The drug is a version of AbbVie's Humira, used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis and Crohn's disease.

FLINT, Mich. — Diplomat has acquired a hemophilia-focused specialty pharmacy based in Connecticut, the specialty pharmacy company said Monday.

Diplomat announced that it had bought Enfield, Conn.-based American Homecare Federation, which provides pharmacy services for patients with hemophilia who depend on homecare throughout the United States. Financial terms were not disclosed.

TARRYTOWN, N.Y. — A drug maker has started a program to find the genetic determinants of human disease and speed the discovery and development of new drugs. The program includes a five-year project that it said would be one of the largest of its kind in terms of the number of patients involved.

NEW YORK — Gov. Rick Snyder of Michigan has signed into law a bill that will allow medical marijuana to be sold in pharmacies if the federal government legalizes it for that purpose, according to published reports.

NEW YORK — New York state has begun to legalize medical use of marijuana, albeit in limited form, according to published reports.

Currently, 20 states and the District of Columbia allow the dispensing of marijuana for medical use, two of which — Colorado and Washington — have legalized recreational use, while Maryland allows medical use as a legal defense in criminal cases.

WHITEHOUSE STATION, N.J. — The Food and Drug Administraiton has approved a liquid formulation of an HIV drug made by Merck, the company said.

Merck announced the approval of Isentress (raltegravir) for oral suspension, aimed at small children with HIV. The drug may be used by patients as young as four weeks, and the full line of formulations of Isentress now includes the orlal suspension, as well as chewable tablets and film--coated tablets. The company plans to launch the oral suspension in the third quarter of this year.

SILVER SPRING, Md. — The Food and Drug Administration has approved two drugs made by GlaxoSmithKline for use together in patients with advanced melanoma that can't be removed by surgery or has spread to other parts of the body, the agency said Friday.

The FDA announced the new approval for Mekinist (trametinib) and Tafinlar (dabrafenib). The agency originally approved the two drugs for use as single agents for the same indication in May 2013.

NEW YORK — Forest Labs will buy privately owned drug maker Aptalis for $2.9 billion, Forest said Thursday.

Aptalis specializes in making drugs for gastrointestinal disorders and cystic fibrosis, with sales of $688 million in fiscal year 2013. More than 60% of its sales come from the ulcer treatment Carafate (sucralfate), the inflammatory bowel disease treatment Canasa (melamine) and the cystic fibrosis drug Zenpep (pancrelipase).