Rise and shine, everyone, another busy day is on the way. Our own journey this morning is eased by a bright and shiny sun enveloping the quiet Pharmalot campus, where the short person and the official mascots are all sleeping in. Snoozing is not on our agenda, though, so we are quaffing cups of stimulation to jump-start our mission, which is to bring you items of interest. Speaking of which, here are a few tidbits to help you along. Hope all goes well today and, of course, do keep in touch …
Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA), one of the largest U.S. pharmacy chains, made a takeover approach to AmerisourceBergen (ABC), one of the biggest pharmaceutical wholesalers, The Wall Street Journal reports. A deal, which is not believed to be imminent, could help boost profitability at the drugstore giant and insulate it against external threats in an increasingly competitive health-care landscape. Walgreens, by the way, already owns about 26 percent of Amerisource and also has a representative on the Amerisource board.
A former Advanced BioHealing executive who admitted to federal charges that he bribed U.S. Veterans Affairs doctors to use a biologic wound dressing was given probation, The Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports. Prosecutors accused Todd Clawson, who left the company in 2012, of participating in a scheme to bribe VA physicians to use the DermaGraft diabetic foot ulcer treatment with a series of inducements including paid trips to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico; Def Leppard concert tickets; a fishing trip in Wyoming; and junkets to Las Vegas with an ocean fishing kayak.
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