Specialty Pharmacy

Diplomat Specialty Pharmacy--the nation's largest privately owned specialty pharmacy--recently announced that Steve Wolbert has been hired as its first Community Relations Liaison.

Through their studies of the molecular mechanisms involved in DNA repair, scientists from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine found that the artificial activation of a gene called Chk1 permanently halts cancer cell replication.

Fresh on the heels of another failed drug trial, pharmaceutical companies try to gauge the remaining strategic options in the treatment of patients with Alzheimer's disease.

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd and Active Biotech announced they will continue the clinical development of once-daily oral laquinimod for the treatment of relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) in a third Phase III trial.

A new research and licensing partnership between the University of Pennsylvania and Novartis aims to develop more effective treatments for cancer by giving patients a disabled form of HIV.

The United States Food and Drug Administration approved Zaltrap (ziv-aflibercept) for use in combination with a Folfiri (folinic acid, fluorouracil and irinotecan) chemotherapy regimen to treat adults with colorectal cancer.

Spectrum Pharmaceuticals, a biotechnology company with fully integrated commercial and drug development operations with a primary focus in hematology and oncology, announced publication of positive Phase 2 clinical data for Zevalin (ibritumomab tiuxetan) injection in patients with mantle-cell lymphoma.

GlaxoSmithKline plc announced regulatory submissions in the European Union and United States related to single-agent use of its BRAF inhibitor dabrafenib and MEK inhibitor trametinib to treat patients with BRAF V600 mutation positive metastatic melanoma.

Prime Therapeutics, a leading pharmacy benefit manager, has launched Prime Therapeutics Specialty Pharmacy (Prime Specialty Pharmacy), a new integrated specialty pharmacy focused on providing easier access to affordable medicine.

OrPro Therapeutics, Inc announced that the company has been awarded a National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant from the National Institutes of Health to advance development of its lead product, ORP-100, for the treatment of cystic fibrosis.

CoramRx Specialty Pharmacy Services announced today that it has been awarded Specialty Pharmacy Accreditation from URAC, a Washington, D.C.-based health care accrediting organization that establishes quality standards for the health care industry.

Findings of a new study suggest women infected with HIV do not need more frequent Pap tests.

Treatment with antiretrovirals is now recommended for all adults with HIV infection, regardless of their CD4 count.

Specialty Pharmacy Times spoke to Sajid Syed, BSPharm, MS, RPh, of Acro Pharmaceutical Services, about the high cost of specialty drugs, patient needs, and the ACA.

Idenix Pharmaceuticals, Inc, a biopharmaceutical company engaged in the discovery and development of drugs for the treatment of human viral diseases, recently announced the FDA has granted Fast Track designation for IDX719 for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C infection.

Aeterna Zentaris Inc recently announced that it has filed a request with the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for Fast Track designation for its oral ghrelin agonist, AEZS-130, as a diagnostic test for adult growth hormone deficiency (AGHD).

The initiative will provide greater insight into how the patient-pharmacist relationship can help improve retention in care, adherence and viral suppression outcomes.

NCI's research uncovers new potential drug targets and pathways that may someday be incorporated into new therapeutic strategies.

New research confirms the amyloid hypothesis as a major pathophysiologic factor in the development of Alzheimer's disease.

New research raises questions about the efficacy of one of the most commonly prescribed drugs used to treat relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis.

Research on epithilone D, an investigational drug targeting the formation of tau tangles in Alzheimer's disease, was presented at the 2012 Alzheimer's Association International Conference in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Diplomat Specialty Pharmacy, the nation's largest privately held specialty pharmacy, revealed the results of its annual Physician Satisfaction Survey today.

Today, FDA Commissioner Margaret A. Hamburg announced the agency has approved or tentatively approved a total of 152 antiretroviral drugs in association with the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) to treat those infected with HIV/AIDS in countries that lack the tools needed to fight the AIDS epidemic.

The United States Food and Drug Administration recently approved Afinitor (everolimus) for use in combination with Aromasin (exemestane) to treat certain postmenopausal women with advanced hormone-receptor positive, HER2-negative breast cancer.

The United States Food and Drug Administration today approved Kyprolis (carfilzomib) to treat patients with multiple myeloma who have received at least 2 prior therapies, including treatment with Velcade (bortezomib) and an immunomodulatory therapy.

Two scientific abstracts reported at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference 2012 in Vancouver by scientists with the Mayo Clinic Study of Aging provide encouraging data on their attempts to validate 2 phases of the new diagnostic criteria and guidelines for Alzheimer's disease.

The first report of long-term (3-year) stabilization of Alzheimer's disease symptoms with IVIG, including no decline on measures of cognition, memory, daily functioning and mood, was recently reported at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference 2012 in Vancouver.

The FDA approved Truvada for preexposure prophylaxis, making it the first agent ever to be approved for HIV prevention in uninfected adults.