Issue link: http://osercommunicationsgroup.uberflip.com/i/1013207
Chain Drugstore Daily Monday, August 27, 2018 4 2 Hikma Has Launched Ritonavir Tablets USP Hikma Pharmaceuticals PLC (Hikma, Group), the multinational generic phar- maceutical company, announces that its wholly owned U.S. subsidiary Hikma Pharmaceuticals USA Inc. has launched Ritonavir Tablets USP, 100mg, the first AB-rated generic to Norvir ® tablets. In order for generic drugs to receive FDA approval, these medications must go through a rigorous review process to ensure they have the same active ingredi- ents, same safety profile, same effective- ness, same strength, same quality and same benefits as their name-brand coun- terparts. As a result, patients can confi- dently take generic ritonavir as a thera- peutically equivalent substitute for Norvir. (U.S. Food & Drug Administration website. Orange Book: Approved Drug Products with Therapeutic Equivalence Evaluations. Available at: www.accessdata.fda.gov/ scripts/cder/ob/search_product.cfm. Accessed February 15, 2018.) Brian Hoffman, President, Generics Divison, said, "We are very excited to have launched ritonavir tablets USP, 100mg. This is an exciting product, which demonstrates the successful exe- cution of our strategy to develop differ- entiated products. We have launched ritonavir with additional patient support and co-pay assistance to ensure more people are able to access this important medicine." Hikma recognizes that ritonavir will be prescribed to a unique patient popula- tion that requires special consideration. In some cases, patients may not be noti- fied by physicians or pharmacists if and when they are transitioned from a brand- ed medication to a generic one. Receiving an unfamiliar generic tablet may discour- age some people from c o n t i n u i n g their therapy. In an effort to address this issue, Hikma has engaged with advocacy groups to better understand how to communicate with and support these patients and their healthcare providers. Kathie Hiers, a representative of one such advocacy group, points out that "People who are taking Norvir need to know that generic ritonavir is available for the first time. It's important that they don't stop tak- ing their medicine if they are provided the generic option." To support the patient community and its understanding of generic ritonavir tablets, Hikma has also launched an edu- cation and awareness campaign. The campaign features materials designed to introduce patients to generic ritonavir and assure them of its therapeutic equiv- alence to Norvir. Patients and healthcare providers can also find out more about generic riton- avir at www.generic- ritonavir.com. Typically, generic medicines cost patients less than their branded coun- terparts, and ritonavir is no exception. To reduce medication costs further, Hikma is also making a co-pay card available to eligible patients to help them save even more on their generic ritonavir tablets. It is the corporate belief of Hikma that all patients should have access to affordable medication. Generic ritonavir is just another way the company demon- strates its commitment to putting better health within reach every day. All registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners. For more information, visit booth #3917. AZOVA Supports New Clinical Revenue Opportunities As pharmacies search for new ways to generate revenue from clinical services, it's important for them to find a partner who can help them implement new serv- ices in the most effective and efficient way. AZOVA is entering its fourth year of supporting collaborative care programs for physicians, pharmacists and other healthcare professionals. Over 1,200 providers utilize the AZOVA cloud-based platform to implement new programs, including telemedicine, telepharmacy, chronic care management, transitions of care, point-of-care tests and vaccination clinics. There are significant opportunities for community/retail pharmacists to gen- erate revenue from clinical services such as chronic care management (CCM). Medicare pays medical practices for CCM which entails ongoing support for Medicare beneficiaries who have at least two chronic conditions. Pharmacists may partner with physicians wherein the phar- macist becomes a contracted member of the physician's clinical staff and the phar- macist delivers the CCM services on a regular schedule (often monthly). Pharmacists can use the AZOVA plat- form to schedule patients, document their encounters and share all records with the physician. AZOVA's mobile application of the platform allows pharmacists to work from any mobile device, including smart- phones and tablets. This is ideal for phar- macists who make home visits or see patients across multiple care sites or who work from home. The instant notification features of the platform also make sure that pharmacists are alerted as soon as a patient has sent them a message or scheduled an appoint- ment, or when a provider has sent them a referral. Patients can utilize the AZOVA platform to communicate with their providers through secure messaging or video calls. Secure messaging looks like text messaging, but is delivered through a secure channel to ensure HIPAA compliance. Some patients also benefit from video visits with their provider and AZOVA has an industry-leading video engine built into the platform. Sometimes a telephone call just isn't sufficient for engaging or edu- cating a patient; for example, when try- ing to teach a patient how to use an inhaler. This video technology can also be used for counseling of patients who have their medications delivered to their home or who pick up their medication at a telepharmacy remote site. AZOVA has also been popular with pharmacies that implement large- scale vaccination clinics. The pharmacy can provide employers, schools or assisted living facili- ties with an online registration and self-scheduling portal so that patients can complete all required paperwork ahead of time and pick a time that is most convenient for them to come to the clinic. This allows for maximum efficiency at the clinic site so that patients merely have to check-in, get their shots, and can leave without any paper involved. The vaccine infor- mation sheet is sent to them electroni- cally and the patient has enduring access to their digital vaccination record. The record can then be easily shared with physicians, schools or fam- ily members. AZOVA is your trusted partner. Visit AZOVA at booth #4009. For more information, go to www.azovahealth.com or email david.nau@azovahealth.com. Graffco Supplies Reconditioned Gasoline Dispensers An interview with Daniel Graff, President, Graffco. CDD: Tell our readers about your com- pany and what you do. DG: Graffco offers an alternative to brand-new pumps that allows distributors to save up to approximately 50 percent over new. These units are late model Gilbarco Encores and Wayne Ovations in used condition, island tested or complete- ly reconditioned. We currently have a limited number of Gilbarco Flex Pay II kits that are upgradeable for EMV in 2020. Other products Graffco offers are rebuilt electronic boards for the dis- pensers, replacement stainless steel, rebuilt POS equipment and rebuilt tank monitoring equipment. Visit our new E- Commerce section on our website to see all that Graffco has to offer. CDD: How did you get into this busi- ness? DG: When I was a young boy, my dad made his living rebuilding automatic nozzles. As a young man growing up, helping my dad rebuild nozzles is how I earned money for cars and school. When I was 20, I moved to Fort Lauderdale and started my own nozzle business. In the mid 1970s when unleaded gas came in, my dad called and asked if I could sell used pumps in Florida. As the business evolved, the focus left the nozzles and became the pumps. We incorporated as Graffco, Inc. in 1986. We were partners for many years – two men and a pump. It was a great partnership. Now, my dad's retired, and I have my three daughters and a son in the business with me, and it's a joy working with them on a daily basis. CDD: What's new this year? DG: We are introducing our new E- Commerce site with an expanding parts division and extended rebuilt electronics board division. CDD: Who are your customers for that and for your other equip- ment? DG: Our customers are a lot of distribu- tors who will resell our equipment to smaller oil companies that can't afford new. We cater to the smaller marketer, but we still can handle doing special things for the bigger ones. For instance, we have a "hit pump" program that includes a fast turnaround time for sta- tions who need a pump rebuilt. One com- pany that takes advantage of this program is 7-11. CDD: How's the business going? DG: Many marketers are actually 'wait- ing to see' what is going to be the answer for EMV in 2020. They have spent a ton of money in the last couple of years doing some upgrading but they are watching their pennies for a while on other upgrades. We recommend that they purchase only equipment that is upgradeable in the future to EMV replacing older equipment such as the older Encores, Vistas, etc. We can supply this niche market with quality used pumps and recondi- tioned pumps. CDD: Anything else our readers should know? DG: Not only do we sell late-model equipment, we also purchase late-model equipment if people have any for sale. Anyone doing any remodeling or upgrad- ing should contact us. We stand by every- thing we sell, and everyone knows that. We're also rebuilding more electronics than ever before, and that's an avenue we expect to continue to develop. To see everything that Graffco can offer in the petroleum industry, take a tour of our business on our website www.graffco.com and check out the new E-Commerce section. If you don't find what you need, give us a call. For more information, email sales@ graffco.com or call 800.443.1219.