Specialty Pharmacy

WHITEHOUSE STATION, N.J. — The Food and Drug Administration has approved a new tablet form of an antifungal drug made by Merck, the company said Tuesday.

Merck announced the FDA approval of Noxafil (posaconazole) 100-mg delayed release tablets. The company also markets a 40-mg-per-milliliter oral suspension form of the drug. The new tablet formulation is designed to be taken in two 300-mg doses on the first day, followed by a 300-mg dose once per day.

NORTH CHICAGO, Ill. – Drug maker AbbVie is launching an international awareness campaign focused on women living with HIV, the drug maker said Tuesday.

OSLO, Norway — German chemical and pharmaceutical giant Bayer plans to buy Norwegian drug maker Algeta for $2.4 billion, Algeta confirmed Tuesday.

Responding to earlier media reports, the Norway-based maker of cancer drugs said Bayer would acquire it for 336 krone per share, equal to about $55.05. The company's share price increased to 349.40 krone, or $57.21 per share, in late-afternoon trading Tuesday on the Oslo Stock Exchange.

LAKE FOREST, Ill. — Generic drug maker Hospira will have its investor conference next week, the company said Tuesday.

The drug maker, based in the Chicago area, will have the investor day at its headquarters on Dec. 5. Hospira specializes in manufacturing injectable generic drugs, including biosimilars for the European market.

The event will include slide presentations, and the company will stream it via audio webcast at its investors website, hospirainvestor.com.

FLINT, Mich. — Four pharmacists from Diplomat are among the 49 across the country who have received certification from the Specialty Pharmacy Certification Board, Diplomat said Monday.

Diplomat said VP clinical services Gary Rice, clinical technology manager Michael Crowe, pharmacy manager Nicole Hubach and clinical manager Ryan Nolan had received the SPCB's Certified Specialty Pharmacist endorsement. The SPCB announced on Nov. 11 the first 49 pharmacists to become CSPs. The tests for the credential were administered in October.

TITUSVILLE, N.J. — The Food and Drug Administration has approved a new treatment made by Johnson & Johnson for hepatitis C, the drug maker said.

NEW YORK — The Food and Drug Administration has granted regular approval to a new drug made by Pfizer for treating a form of lung cancer, the drug maker said.

FLINT, Mich. — Cornerstone Therapeutics has added specialty pharmacy Diplomat to its limited-distribution network for a newly approved treatment for cystic fibrosis, Diplomat said Friday.

Diplomat will distribute Bethkis (tobramycin inhalation solution), which received Food and Drug Administration approval in October for treating chronic bacterial lung infections caused by P. aeruginosa in cystic fibrosis patients.