CVS head of specialty pharmacy sees future of healthcare at home after Covid-19

Medcity news | May 26, 2020

Mail-order prescriptions are nothing new, but pharmacists have turned to a number of other tools to help patients access their prescriptions during the Covid-19 pandemic.  The head of CVS Health’s specialty pharmacy strategy, Prem Shah, said he expects to see more patients continue receive healthcare at home after the pandemic ends. Though CVS Health had been building up its arsenal of digital tools before the Covid-19 pandemic, stay-at-home orders forced the pharmacy giant to lean more on them. The company has seen a surge in the use of its support services since the beginning of March.

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Pharmacy Market

Harrow Launches VIGAMOX® in the U.S.

Businesswire | August 01, 2023

Harrow a leading U.S. eyecare pharmaceutical company, today announced the completion of the transfer to Harrow of the New Drug Application (NDA) for VIGAMOX® (moxifloxacin hydrochloride ophthalmic solution) 0.5%, a fluoroquinolone antibiotic eye drop for the treatment of bacterial conjunctivitis caused by susceptible strains of organisms. The U.S. commercial rights to VIGAMOX werepurchasedby Harrow in January of 2023, and VIGAMOX is the fourth FDA-approved ophthalmic product from that acquisition to have completed the NDA transfer process and become commercially available under the Harrow name. “Having now completed the NDA transfer of VIGAMOX, we are excited to begin the implementation of the market access, marketing, inventory management, national sales detailing, and other brand‑leveraging strategies that we have developed during this transfer period,” said Mark L. Baum, Chief Executive Officer of Harrow. “With an exceptional record of safety and efficacy, VIGAMOX is a well-known, reliable, and trusted product by U.S. eyecare professionals, many of whom regard VIGAMOX as the preferred broad-spectrum topical antibiotic to treat patients for bacterial conjunctivitis (sometimes referred to as 'pink eye') as well as many other common bacterial-based infections.” Product orders for VIGAMOX can be made directly through Harrow’s dedicated customer service ordering partner, Cardinal’s Cordlogistics, which includes a wholesaler distribution system encompassing McKesson and AmerisourceBergen. About VIGAMOX® (moxifloxacin hydrochloride ophthalmic solution) 0.5%: INDICATIONS AND USAGE VIGAMOX® is a topical fluoroquinolone anti-infective indicated for the treatment of bacterial conjunctivitis caused by susceptible strains of the following organisms: Corynebacterium species*, Micrococcus luteus*, Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Staphylococcus haemolyticus, Staphylococcus hominis, Staphylococcus warneri*, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Streptococcus viridans group, Acinetobacter lwoffii*, Haemophilus influenzae, Haemophilus parainfluenzae*, and Chlamydia trachomatis. Efficacy for this organism was studied in fewer than 10 infections. IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION Contraindications VIGAMOX® is contraindicated in patients with a history of hypersensitivity to moxifloxacin, to other quinolones, or to any of the components in this medication. Warnings and Precautions Hypersensitivity Reactions –Hypersensitivity and anaphylaxis have been reported with systemic use of moxifloxacin. Prolonged Use –May result in overgrowth of non-susceptible organisms, including fungi. Avoid Contact Lens Wear –Patients should not wear contact lenses if they have signs or symptoms of bacterial conjunctivitis. The most frequently reported ocular adverse events were conjunctivitis, decreased visual acuity, dry eye, keratitis, ocular discomfort, ocular hyperemia, ocular pain, ocular pruritus, subconjunctival hemorrhage, and tearing. These events occurred in approximately 1%-6% of patients. Nonocular adverse events reported at a rate of 1%-4% were fever, increased cough, infection, otitis media, pharyngitis, rash, and rhinitis. About Harrow Harrow Health, Inc. is a leading eyecare pharmaceutical company engaged in the discovery, development, and commercialization of innovative ophthalmic pharmaceutical products for the U.S. market. Harrow helps U.S. eyecare professionals preserve the gift of sight by making its comprehensive portfolio of prescription and non-prescription pharmaceutical products accessible and affordable to millions of Americans each year.

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PHARMACY MARKET

Tris Pharma Secures First ex-US Authorizations for Quillivant ER Oral Suspension and Quillivant ER Chewable Tablet for the Treatment

businesswire | September 26, 2023

Tris Pharma, Inc. (Tris), a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on ADHD, pain, addiction and neurological disorders, today announced that Health Canada has authorized the use of Quillivant® ER (extended release) for the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children ages 6 to 12. Quillivant ER will be available as both an oral suspension and chewable tablet (known in the United States as Quillivant XR® and QuilliChew ER®, respectively). Quillivant ER is the first once-daily, long-acting, chewable and oral suspension formulations of methylphenidate to be approved for the treatment of ADHD in Canada. “Children with ADHD around the world need medications that provide fast-acting and long-lasting relief in a range of formulations that are easy for them to take. Since the launch of our Quillivant XR product in the United States, we have been approached by potential partners to make our portfolio of ADHD products available around the world,” said Ketan Mehta, founder and chief executive officer at Tris Pharma. “We are truly delighted by this milestone, which will make this important medication available to millions of patients in Canada.” Ontario-based KYE Pharmaceuticals, Inc. will make Quillivant ER Oral Suspension and Quillivant ER Chewable Tablets available to patients in Canada beginning in Q1 2024. Tris will manufacture Quillivant ER in the United States and export to KYE Pharmaceuticals for Canadian patients. ADHD is one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders diagnosed among children. Many therapies approved to treat ADHD have well-established and significant drawbacks, including early symptom rebound, limited duration of release and efficacy, delayed onset, inability to customize or control titration, and patient difficulty taking the medications (e.g., children unable to swallow a tablet). In Canada, Quillivant ER is authorized for administration to children aged 6 to 12 diagnosed with ADHD as a once-daily liquid suspension or as a chewable tablet to overcome the difficulty of swallowing pills while still achieving the duration needed to control ADHD symptoms for the desired timeframe. Quillivant ER has demonstrated onset of action as soon as 45 minutes through 12 hours post-dose, providing consistent, continuous delivery throughout the day. Quillivant ER Oral Suspension allows for personalized dosing with ease of titration and the Quillivant ER chewable tablets are scored tablets, which are ideal for pediatric patients, providing additional flexibility in dose administration with the most dosing options available in an extended-release methylphenidate tablet. Tris developed both formulations using the company’s proprietary LiquiXR® technology. “Quillivant ER has the potential to address a significant unmet market need in the treatment of ADHD by overcoming drawbacks associated with many other ADHD medications, particularly among children,” said John McKendry, president at KYE Pharmaceuticals. “Our strategic partnership with Tris allows us to apply our extensive regulatory and commercial expertise to ensure this unique ADHD medication is made available to patients in Canada.” About Tris Pharma Tris Pharma is a privately held, innovation-driven biopharmaceutical company that is applying its drug development capabilities and proprietary technologies to transform the treatment of ADHD, pain and neurological disorders, including addiction and diseases of the central nervous system. Tris is an established commercial organization with a robust portfolio of best-in-class ADHD products and a promising pipeline of differentiated, near-term drug candidates. More information is available at www.trispharma.com and on LinkedIn @TrisPharma. About KYE Pharmaceuticals Kye Pharmaceuticals Inc. is a private company headquartered in Mississauga, Canada focused on bringing medications to the Canadian market which fulfill clinically significant and unmet needs. KYE has licensed many innovative products and was founded on an entrepreneurial spirit that optimizes our team’s strengths and brings unique value to our partners, Canadian healthcare professionals, and most importantly, patients across Canada.

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Pharmacy Market

Halozyme Announces Approval of Roche's Tecentriq® Subcutaneous (SC) with ENHANZE® in Great Britain

prnewswire | August 29, 2023

Halozyme Therapeutics, Inc. announced the approval of Roche's Tecentriq® SC (atezolizumab), using Halozyme's ENHANZE® drug delivery technology, by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) in Great Britain. Tecentriq® subcutaneous (SC) is co-formulated with Halozyme's proprietary recombinant human hyaluronidase enzyme, rHuPH20, allowing for subcutaneous delivery, which takes approximately seven minutes, compared with 30-60 minutes for intravenous (IV) infusion. Tecentriq® SC will be available to patients in Great Britain for certain types of lung, bladder, breast, and liver cancer.7 Multiple oncology studies suggest that most cancer patients prefer to receive their treatments via subcutaneous delivery, instead of intravenous infusion because of reduced discomfort, ease of administration, and shorter duration of treatment.2,4,11 "We are delighted that Roche has received approval of Tecentriq SC in Great Britain. Subcutaneous delivery of Tecentriq provides cancer patients a faster and more flexible treatment option and may alleviate pressure on healthcare system resources," said Dr. Helen Torley, president and chief executive officer of Halozyme. "We look forward to additional regulatory approvals of our partner products utilizing ENHANZE." Tecentriq® SC is the first subcutaneous anti-PD-(L)1 cancer immunotherapy available to patients in Great Britain and is Roche's fourth subcutaneous cancer therapy using Halozyme's ENHANZE® drug delivery technology.8-10 The approval is based on clinical data from the Phase IB/III IMscin001 study, which showed comparable levels of Tecentriq® in the blood when administered subcutaneously, and a safety and efficacy profile consistent with the IV formulation.12 While the IMscin001 trial was conducted within the hospital setting, the SC formulation may be suitable for out-of-hospital administration by a healthcare professional. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is currently evaluating Tecentriq® SC for regulatory approval. About Halozyme Halozyme is a biopharmaceutical company bringing disruptive solutions to significantly improve patient experiences and outcomes for emerging and established therapies. As the innovators of the ENHANZE® technology with the proprietary enzyme rHuPH20, Halozyme's commercially-validated solution is used to facilitate the delivery of injected drugs and fluids in order to reduce the treatment burden to patients. Having touched more than 700,000 patient lives in post-marketing use in six commercialized products across more than 100 global markets, Halozyme has licensed its ENHANZE® technology to leading pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies including Roche, Takeda, Pfizer, AbbVie, Eli Lilly, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Alexion, argenx, Horizon Therapeutics, ViiV Healthcare and Chugai Pharmaceutical. Halozyme also develops, manufactures and commercializes, for itself or with partners, drug-device combination products using its advanced auto-injector technology that are designed to provide commercial or functional advantages such as improved convenience and tolerability, and enhanced patient comfort and adherence. The Company has a commercial portfolio of proprietary products including XYOSTED®, TLANDO® and NOCDURNA® and partnered commercial products and ongoing product development programs with several pharmaceutical companies including Teva Pharmaceuticals and Idorsia Pharmaceuticals.

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