Specialty Pharmacy News Roundup: December 2023

The following company announcements are just a few of the specialty pharmacy company activities from this month. Subscribe to AMI’s Specialty Pharmacy Database to stay up to date on company and industry trends. 

AllianceRx Walgreens Pharmacy, a leading specialty and home delivery pharmacy in the United States and a subsidiary of Walgreens, has been selected as one of four specialty pharmacies to distribute XDEMVY (lotilaner ophthalmic solution) 0.25%. According to the manufacturer of XDEMVY — Tarsus Pharmaceuticals — four pharmacies across the country have been activated to work with eye care practitioners’ (ECPs’) offices: AllianceRx Walgreens, BlinkRx, Carepoint, and CVS Specialty. XDEMVY is the first and only FDA-approved treatment for Demodex blepharitis (DB), a prevalent eyelid disease affecting approximately 25 million eye care patients in the US.

Biologics along with Onco360 were selected along by Novartis as a pharmacy partner for FABHALTA in December 2023. FABHALTA is the first oral monotherapy for the treatment of adults with PNH, a rare and life-altering blood disorder.  Fabhalta^® is a Factor B inhibitor that acts proximally in the alternative complement pathway of the immune system, providing control of red blood cell destruction within and outside the blood vessels (intra- and extravascular hemolysis).

Two months after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, Brooklyn, N.Y.-based Medly Pharmacy is selling its pharmacy assets to Walgreens for $19.35 million. The sale did not include its retail assets, such as over-the-counter drugs sold through its app and in physical locations, according to a report posted on Digital Health Business and Technology. Medly filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in December 2022, listing $11.4 million in assets and $105.6 million in liabilities.

Local Health Specialty, a subsidiary of OneroRx, has acquired three pharmacies in Missouri and Indiana. This step is part of OneroRx’s wider focus of expanding their footprint to a regional level. OneroRx currently owns 65 independent pharmacy locations in six states, and its mission is to provide integrated pharmacy services to promote patient health and wellness in underserved communities. The three pharmacies acquired are Juniper Pharmacy in St. Louis; Lee’s Summit Pharmacy in Lee’s Summit, Mo.; and Willowbrook Pharmacy in Carmel, Ind. The staff at each pharmacy will continue in the current capacity.

Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Ionis) recently announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Ionis and AstraZeneca’s WAINUA™ (eplontersen) for the treatment of the polyneuropathy of hereditary transthyretin-mediated amyloidosis in adults, commonly referred to as hATTR-PN or ATTRv-PN. WAINUA is the only approved medicine for the treatment of ATTRv-PN that can be self-administered via an auto-injector. WAINUA will be available in the U.S. in January 2024. WAINUA is available at the following the Authorized Specialty Pharmacy Provider (SPP) Orsini Pharmaceutical Services who can provide support to help patients prescribed WAINUA.

UCB, a global biopharmaceutical company, announced that ZILBRYSQ^® (zilucoplan) is now available in the U.S. for the treatment of generalized myasthenia gravis (gMG) in adult patients who are anti-acetylcholine receptor (AChR) antibody positive. Zilbrysq is available through the specialty pharmacy PANTHERx Rare Pharmacy and through a Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS) program because of the risk of serious meningococcal infections.

PolarisRx Specialty Pharmacy, formerly Premier Pharmacy Services, was selected to join GALT Pharmaceuticals product distribution network for Norgeisc, Norgesic Forte, Doral and Oravig to advance access to these key therapies that effect patients nationwide.