Specialty Pharmacy

WASHINGTON — The Center for Pharmacy Practice Accreditation is developing an accreditation program for specialty pharmacy practices, the group said.

LONDON — The global market for drugs to treat constipation resulting from use of opioid painkillers will increase more than tenfold by 2017, according to new research.

TITUSVILLE, N.J. — A subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson has acquired rights to an experimental drug for hepatitis C from GlaxoSmithKline.

Janssen Pharmaceuticals announced that it had bought, for an undisclosed among, the drug GSK2336805 from GSK. The drug, which belongs to a class known as NS5a replication complex inhibitors, is currently in mid-stage development.

LANDOVER, Md. — Giant Food of Landover, Md., presented its first-ever Giant Food NextGen Award for Children's Cancer Research this week, created for young investigators committed to pursuing a long-term career in pediatric oncology research.

NEW YORK — A coalition of organizations that includes major retail pharmacy and drug manufacturing groups is warning consumers against purchasing drugs from foreign, online outlets.

While the boom in generic drugs now looks set to wane, another segment of the pharmaceutical industry is rapidly rising and presenting new growth opportunities for pharmacy retailers: specialty drugs.

NEW YORK — A new law in Maine will allow consumers to purchase drugs by mail order from some pharmacies overseas, according to published reports.

The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday that the law, a first, had sparked lawsuits from drug companies, who say the law will threaten patient safety by opening the U.S. supply chain to counterfeit and adulterated medications. Supporters of the law, including Republican Gov. Paul LePage, say drug makers are more concerned about losing money from the law.

NEW YORK — A Republican congressman from Alabama has proposed a stopgap bill that would fund the Food and Drug Administration through the middle of December or until the government shutdown ends, though it is unlikely to pass in the Senate.