Specialty Pharmacy

Sanofi slashed the price of colorectal cancer drug Zaltrap (ziv-aflibercept) in half after 2 oncologists from Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center publicly balked at the drug's $11,000 price tag in an op-ed in The New York Times.

Value-added services for specialty drugs can help distributors support otherwise slim profit margins.

New legislation would allow the FDA to track the volume and distribution of drugs produced at compounding pharmacies, increase the transparency of compounded drugs, and institute a waiver system in times of public need.

The FDA approved Xeljanz (tofacitinib) to treat adults with moderately to severely active rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who have had an inadequate response to, or who are intolerant of, methotrexate.

Diplomat Specialty Pharmacy, the nation's largest privately held specialty pharmacy company servicing the needs of patients and physicians nationwide, is on target to meet its long-term growth plan with the announcement that it has an immediate need to fill 100 full-time jobs.

Considering the delicate nature of specialty pharmaceuticals, specialty pharmacies must take measures to ensure they have a crisis communication plan in place in the event of a natural disaster or an emergency.

Cardinal Health Specialty Solutions announced today that its specialty pharmacy, OncoSourceRx, has been awarded Specialty Pharmacy Accreditation from URAC, a Washington, DC-based health care accrediting organization that establishes quality standards for the health care industry.

The American Society of Clinical Oncology's list of the top 5 common oncology treatments or procedures that "lack sufficient evidence for widespread use" should be considered when discussing the rising cost of cancer care.

Avella Specialty Pharmacy, under an agreement with DARA BioSciences, Inc, will be a distribution source for Soltamox, the first and only FDA-approved oral liquid formulation of tamoxifen citrate for the prevention and treatment of breast cancer.

CVS Caremark announced the appointment of Alan Lotvin, MD, to the position of executive vice president, specialty pharmacy.

In this Medscape One-on-One video, former FDA Commissioner and former director of the National Cancer Institute Andrew von Eschenbach, MD, suggests using adaptive trial design to test drugs rather than a stepwise approach.

On October 17, the FDA approved Jetrea (ocriplasmin), the first drug approved to treat an eye condition called symptomatic vitreomacular adhesion (VMA).

In a session at the 2012 Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy Educational Conference, Aimee Tharaldson, PharmD, identified the top specialty drugs in the pipeline and highlighted the most recent therapeutic trends within each medication class.

A new study carried out by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota and PBM Prime Therapeutics forecasts that multiple sclerosis specialty drug treatment cost will exceed $50,000 per person per year in 2016.

A recent outbreak of meningitis tied to a compounded drug raises concerns about the scope of the practice of pharmacy compounding and prompts legislators to push for increased FDA authority over these products.

Therapies for chronic conditions are increasingly being subjected to utilization management tools, according to ICORE Healthcare's 2011 Medical Pharmacy & Oncology Trend Report.

In this video from The American Journal of Pharmacy Benefits, Aimee Tharaldson, PharmD, discusses some of the current trends in the specialty pharmacy market and notes that the pipeline for cancer drugs is likely to be the most robust.

A free source of evidence-based information for health care professionals and for researchers studying liver injury associated with prescription and over-the-counter drugs, herbals, and dietary supplements is now available from the National Institutes of Health.

Celgene Corporation today announced the FDA has approved Abraxane (paclitaxel protein-bound particles for injectable suspension) (albumin-bound) as a first-line treatment for locally advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer, in combination with carboplatin, in patients who are not candidates for curative surgery or radiation therapy.

Genentech, Inc, a member of the Roche Group, today announced that the FDA has expanded the approved indication for Actemra (tocilizumab) for the treatment of adults with moderately to severely active rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who have had an inadequate response to one or more disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs).

Humira, Abbott's biggest seller, was recently approved by the FDA to treat ulcerative colitis.

Aimee Tharaldson, PharmD, senior clinical consultant, Emerging Therapeutics, Express Scripts, Inc, discussed the 351K pathway and compared it with the biologic licensing application (BLA) submission route for biosimilar drugs at the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy's Educational Conference.

Walgreens and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation announced today they are forming an alliance that will give Walgreens a significant ownership stake in the parent company of Cystic Fibrosis Services, Inc, a specialty pharmacy that provides medications and treatment support for the cystic fibrosis community.

Axium Healthcare Pharmacy, one of the nation's largest independent specialty pharmacy providers, kicked off October with an in-depth look at Balanced Solutions Compounding Pharmacy.

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius released a video today on the importance of prevention and early detection in the fight against breast cancer.

Catamaran Corp, a leading provider of pharmacy benefit management (PBM) services and technology announced it has launched its new specialty brand, BriovaRx.

The Foundation for Managed Care Pharmacy (FMCP) will hold its 2nd Annual Research Symposium, October 2, 2012 in Cincinnati, Ohio.

The FDA approved Stivarga (regorafenib) to treat patients with colorectal cancer that has progressed after treatment and spread to other parts of the body.

Vanderbilt University and Bristol-Myers Squibb Company announced that they have signed a collaboration agreement for the discovery, development and commercialization of novel therapies acting on the mGluR4 glutamate receptor, known as positive allosteric modulators or PAMs, for the treatment of Parkinson's disease.

Managed Health Care Associates, Inc (MHA), a leading health care service company focused on the alternate site health care provider marketplace, announced that Erik Halstrom has joined MHA as vice president of Specialty Pharmacy Solutions.