Content about AstraZeneca

May 22, 2013
FDA approves Sandoz hypertension drug

The Food and Drug Administration has approved a generic heart disease drug made by Sandoz, the company said.

PRINCETON, N.J. — The Food and Drug Administration has approved a generic heart disease drug made by Sandoz, the company said Wednesday.

Sandoz, the generics division of Swiss drug maker Novartis, announced the approval of candesartan cilexetil tablets, a generic version of AstraZeneca's Atacand.

The drug is used to treat some types of heart failure in adults with left ventricular systolic dysfunction, as well as high blood pressure in adults and children as young as 1.

Atacand had sales of $120.3 million in 2012, according to IMS Health.

May 22, 2013
Par ships authorized generic cardiovascular drug

Generic drug maker Par Pharmaceutical Cos. has started shipping an authorized generic version of a heart-disease medication made by AstraZeneca.

WOODCLIFF LAKE, N.J. — Generic drug maker Par Pharmaceutical Cos. has started shipping an authorized generic version of a heart-disease medication made by AstraZeneca.

Par said it had entered into an agreement with AstraZeneca to supply authorized generic Atacand (candesartan cilexetil) and had begun shipping the drug in the 4 mg, 8 mg, 16 mg and 32 mg strengths. Atacand has annual sales of about $113 million, according to IMS Health, and is used to treat certain kinds of heart failure and high blood pressure in children and adults.

May 21, 2013
Impax ships authorized generic version of Zomig

Impax Labs has launched an authorized generic drug for migraine headaches under a partnership with AstraZeneca, Impax said.

HAYWARD, Calif. — Impax Labs has launched an authorized generic drug for migraine headaches under a partnership with AstraZeneca, Impax said.

Impax said its generics division, Global Pharmaceuticals, began shipping authorized generic zolmitriptan tablets and orally disintegrating tablets in the 2.5 mg and 5 mg strengths. The drug is a version of AstraZeneca's Zomig.

Zomig had sales of about $196 million during the 12-month period that ended in April, according to IMS Health.

May 13, 2013
AstraZeneca encourages asthma awareness

Drug maker AstraZeneca is encouraging patients with asthma to control their disease and learn about how it may be affecting their lives as part of National Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month, which takes place in May.

WILMINGTON, Del. — Drug maker AstraZeneca is encouraging patients with asthma to control their disease and learn about how it may be affecting their lives as part of National Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month, which takes place in May.

May 3, 2013
Actavis sales up 24% in first quarter 2013

Actavis' had $1.9 billion in sales in first quarter 2013, the drug maker said.

PARSIPPANY, N.J. — Actavis' had $1.9 billion in sales in first quarter 2013, the drug maker said.

The latest figure represented a 24% increase from first quarter 2012's $1.52 billion. "The new Actavis is off to a strong start in 2013, and as a result, we are increasing our 2013 forecast based on the strong performance and execution against our objectives to date," president and CEO Paul Bisaro said.

April 8, 2013
Patients taking AstraZeneca RA drug show partial improvement

An experimental drug developed by AstraZeneca for rheumatoid arthritis produced mixed results in measurements of patients' conditions, according to results of a late-stage clinical trial.

NEW YORK — An experimental drug developed by AstraZeneca for rheumatoid arthritis produced mixed results in measurements of patients' conditions, according to results of a late-stage clinical trial.

AstraZeneca announced initial results of the phase-3 "OSKIRA-1" trial of fostamatinib, which it calls the first oral spleen tyrosine kinase inhibitor in development for RA.

April 2, 2013
Federal court rules in favor of Actavis in generic asthma drug case

A court has ruled in favor of generic drug maker Actavis concerning its generic version of a drug to treat asthma in children, the company said.

PARSIPPANY, N.J. — A court has ruled in favor of generic drug maker Actavis concerning its generic version of a drug to treat asthma in children, the company said.

March 25, 2013
Actavis can launch generic version of Crestor in 2016, under deal with AstraZeneca

Generic drug maker Actavis has reached a deal with AstraZeneca that will allow it to launch a version of a drug used to treat cholesterol in three years, Actavis said Monday.

PARSIPPANY, N.J. — Generic drug maker Actavis has reached a deal with AstraZeneca that will allow it to launch a version of a drug used to treat cholesterol in three years, Actavis said Monday.

Under a deal to settle a patent-infringement lawsuit, Actavis will be allowed to launch its generic version of Crestor (rosuvastatin calcium) tablets in the 5-mg, 10-mg, 20-mg and 40-mg strengths 67 days before July 8, 2016, when the drug's market exclusivity for use in children expires, at a fee of 39% of net sales to AstraZeneca.

March 22, 2013
AstraZeneca, Moderna Therapeutics to develop drugs using RNA technology

AstraZeneca will pay $420 million to Moderna Therapeutics in a deal to develop drugs for a variety of diseases using a technology developed by Moderna, AstraZeneca said.

NEW YORK — AstraZeneca will pay $420 million to Moderna Therapeutics in a deal to develop drugs for a variety of diseases using a technology developed by Moderna, AstraZeneca said.

March 4, 2013
WSJ: CDC sets stage for a four-strain flu shot for the next flu season

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention set the stage for the first quadrivalent influenza vaccine to be introduced in the 2013-2014 flu season, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal.

NEW YORK — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last week set the stage for the first quadrivalent influenza vaccine to be introduced in the 2013-2014 flu season, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal. 

Quadrivalent vaccines will contain two A strains and two B strains of flu. The triumvirate vaccines in use today contain two A strains and one B strain of flu. 

February 28, 2013
Canadian provinces to cut generic payments

Canadian generic drug makers expressed dismay over a new plan to reduce reimbursements for a half-dozen generic medications in most of the country's provinces. According to published reports, a group of premiers had reached a coordinated deal to reduce the prices their governments paid for six generic drugs, hoping to save the provinces nearly $100 million.

Canadian generic drug makers expressed dismay over a new plan to reduce reimbursements for a half-dozen generic medications in most of the country's provinces. According to published reports, a group of premiers had reached a coordinated deal to reduce the prices their governments paid for six generic drugs, hoping to save the provinces nearly $100 million.

February 25, 2013
Generic tsunami eases, but leaves transformed Rx landscape in its wake

The generic drug tidal wave became a tsunami in 2012, with some of the world's top-selling pharmaceuticals swamped by generic competition, and health plan payers scrambling to reap billions of dollars in financial savings.

The generic drug tidal wave became a tsunami in 2012, with some of the world's top-selling pharmaceuticals swamped by generic competition, and health plan payers scrambling to reap billions of dollars in financial savings.

January 28, 2013
Amneal, South Korea-based Hanmi enter GERD drug deal

U.S. generic drug maker Amneal Pharmaceuticals has entered a deal with South Korean drug maker Hanmi Pharmaceutical to acquire exclusive distribution rights for a Hanmi drug used for treating gastroesophageal reflux disease, Amneal said Monday.

BRIDGEWATER, N.J. — U.S. generic drug maker Amneal Pharmaceuticals has entered a deal with South Korean drug maker Hanmi Pharmaceutical to acquire exclusive distribution rights for a Hanmi drug used for treating gastroesophageal reflux disease, Amneal said Monday.

January 25, 2013
Canadian provinces to reduce reimbursements for six generics

Canada's provincial and territorial governments have reached a deal that they said would save money on drugs, but that generic drug makers said had left them "disappointed."

NEW YORK — Canada's provincial and territorial governments have reached a deal that they said would save money on drugs, but that generic drug makers said had left them "disappointed."

January 17, 2013
FDA approves Flublok, a trivalent influenza vaccine not made with eggs

The Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday approved Protein Sciences' Flublok, the first trivalent influenza vaccine made using an insect virus (baculovirus) expression system and recombinant DNA technology.

SILVER SPRING, Md. — The Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday approved Protein Sciences' Flublok, the first trivalent influenza vaccine made using an insect virus (baculovirus) expression system and recombinant DNA technology. 

January 17, 2013
Pennsylvania man wins Prilosec OTC Wildberry sweepstakes

Out of more than 200,000 entries, Procter & Gamble named "William R." of Pennsylvania winner of the ultimate sports pack as part of Wild American Flavor Sweepstakes sponsored by Prilosec OTC Wildberry.

CINCINNATI — Out of more than 200,000 entries, Procter & Gamble named "William R." of Pennsylvania winner of the ultimate sports pack as part of Wild American Flavor Sweepstakes sponsored by Prilosec OTC Wildberry.

The contestant won a once-in-a-lifetime trip to three of the country’s "most flavorful" cities that host the biggest sporting events in America, including tickets to the Super Bowl, NASCAR's Daytona 500 and the NCAA basketball championship game in Atlanta, travel and accommodations and $5,000. 

January 8, 2013
Abbott spins off new drug company

Abbott Labs has spun off its specialty drug division into a new company called AbbVie, which the new company's leaders heralded Wednesday by ringing the first opening bell of 2013 at the New York Stock Exchange.

NEW YORK — Abbott Labs has spun off its specialty drug division into a new company called AbbVie, which the new company's leaders heralded Wednesday by ringing the first opening bell of 2013 at the New York Stock Exchange.

December 28, 2012
Emergent BioSolutions secures manufacture and sales rights to pandemic influenza vaccine in U.S.

Emergent BioSolutions announced that it has signed a license agreement with VaxInnate Corporation under which Emergent acquired the exclusive right to manufacture and sell VaxInnate’s pandemic influenza vaccine candidate in the United States.

ROCKVILLE, Md. — Emergent BioSolutions on Friday announced that it has signed a license agreement with VaxInnate Corporation under which Emergent acquired the exclusive right to manufacture and sell VaxInnate’s pandemic influenza vaccine candidate in the United States. 

December 14, 2012
Federal court upholds validity of Crestor patent

A federal court has ruled in favor of AstraZeneca in a case regarding a cholesterol drug, the company said.

WILMINGTON, Del. — A federal court has ruled in favor of AstraZeneca in a case regarding a cholesterol drug, the company said.

AstraZeneca said the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit upheld a decision by the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware ruling that a patent covering the drug Crestor (rosuvastatin calcium) was valid and enforceable. The patent, which expires in 2016, covers the active ingredient of Crestor.

December 7, 2012
Mylan launches generic hypertension drug

The Food and Drug Administration has approved a generic hypertension drug made by Mylan, the company said.

PITTSBURGH — The Food and Drug Administration has approved a generic hypertension drug made by Mylan, the company said.

Mylan announced the approval and launch of candesartan cilexetil and hydrochlorothiazide tablets in the 16/12.5-mg, 32/12.5-mg and 32/25-mg strengths. Mylan said it was the first company to submit a complete regulatory approval application for the drug and is thus entitled to 180 days of market exclusivity in which to compete directly with the branded version.

December 6, 2012
Par distributes authorized generic of AstraZeneca hypertension drug

Par Pharmaceutical Cos. has contracted with AstraZeneca to distribute an authorized generic version of a drug used to treat high blood pressure, Par said.

WOODCLIFF LAKE, N.J. — Par Pharmaceutical Cos. has contracted with AstraZeneca to distribute an authorized generic version of a drug used to treat high blood pressure, Par said.

Par announced that it had entered a supply and distribution agreement through subsidiary Par Pharmaceutical to distribute an authorized generic version of Atacand HCT (i.e., candesartan cilexetil and hydrochlorothiazide) tablets.

An authorized generic is a branded drug marketed under its generic name at a discounted price, usually through a third-party company.

November 29, 2012
NewsBytes — Chain Pharmacy, 12/10/12

Watson Pharmaceuticals is changing its name to Actavis following its acquisition of the Swiss drug maker, Watson said.

Watson to change brand in 2013
PARSIPPANY, N.J. — Watson Pharmaceuticals is changing its name to Actavis following its acquisition of the Swiss drug maker, Watson said. Watson, whose $5.6 billion acquisition of Actavis received approval from the Federal Trade Commission in October, said it would adopt the new name starting in 2013, with plans to start a multi-year rebranding campaign and trade under a new symbol on the New York Stock Exchange.


November 14, 2012
CSPN, Dara BioSciences enter distribution contract for breast cancer drug

The Community Specialty Pharmacy Network has entered a contract with Dara BioSciences to distribute a nonsteroidal anti-estrogen product.

DREXEL HILL, Pa. — The Community Specialty Pharmacy Network has entered a contract with Dara BioSciences to distribute a nonsteroidal anti-estrogen product.

CSPN announced the agreement with Dara to distribute Soltamox (tamoxifen) solution for oral administration. The drug, a treatment for breast cancer, is for patients who have difficulty swallowing pills.

October 29, 2012
Par acquires rights to generic version of Seroquel XR

Par Pharmaceutical Cos. has bought rights to a generic version of a drug used to treat bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.

WOODCLIFF LAKE, N.J. – Par Pharmaceutical Cos. has bought rights to a generic version of a drug used to treat bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.

October 22, 2012
Avella named distribution source for oral-liquid breast cancer drug

A deal that would make a specialty pharmacy a distribution source for a new liquid chemotherapy drug may benefit breast cancer patients who have trouble swallowing pills.

PHOENIX — A deal that would make a specialty pharmacy a distribution source for an oral-liquid drug may benefit breast cancer patients who have trouble swallowing pills.

Avella Specialty Pharmacy announced Monday a deal with Dara BioSciences that would make a distribution source for Soltamox (tamoxifen citrate) oral solution in the United States. The drug is the only available oral liquid formulation of tamoxifen, previously available in pill form only.