Community/Retail

A report released by CVS Health on the 1-year anniversary of its decision to stop tobacco sales suggests that doing the right thing instead of the expedient thing makes good business sense.

The Generic Pharmaceutical Association and its members applaud the significant progress made by the agency during Commissioner of Food and Drugs Dr. Margaret Hamburg's six years leading the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Throughout her tenure, Dr. Hamburg has been a tireless advocate for patient safety and a leader in efforts to assure that FDA decisions are guided by scientific principles.

Avella Specialty Pharmacy announced today that it has been selected by GlaxoSmithKline as one of a select group of pharmacies authorized to continue to distribute Benlysta, a medication approved by the FDA for the treatment of systemic lupus erythematosus in patients who have previously received other therapies.

The news of Margaret A. Hamburg, MD, resigning from her long-standing post as FDA Commissioner stirred memories of her success with improving access to emergency contraception, but more so her struggles with regulating drug compounding following a deadly fungal meningitis outbreak traced to a compounding pharmacy's tainted drugs.

Pfizer to Acquire Hospira

By

Pfizer and Hospira today announced that they have entered into a definitive merger agreement under which Pfizer will acquire Hospira, the world's leading provider of injectable drugs and infusion technologies and a global leader in biosimilars, for $90 a share in cash for a total enterprise value of approximately $17 billion.