Content about Bristol-Myers Squibb

HYDERABAD, India — The Food and Drug Administration has given preliminary approval to a drug made by Aurobindo Pharma for treating HIV infection in developing countries, the drug maker said.

Aurobindo announced that it had received tentative approval for efavirenz/emtricitabine/tenofovir disoproxil fumarate combination tablets in the 600-mg/200 mg/300-mg strength. The drug is a generic version of Gilead Sciences' Atripla.

NEW YORK — Drug maker Otsuka Pharmaceuticals can keep generic versions of its schizophrenia drug off the market, according to published reports.

Bloomberg reported that the Supreme Court upheld a ruling that allowed Otsuka to block Canadian generic drug maker Apotex from marketing a version of the antipsychotic Abilify (aripiprazole), which Otsuka co-markets with Bristol-Myers Squibb.

PRINCETON, N.J. — The Food and Drug Administration last week approved the anti-clotting drug Eliquis (apixaban), an oral tablet used to reduce the risk of stroke and dangerous blood clots in patients with atrial fibrillation that is not caused by a heart valve problem. Eliquis is manufactured by Bristol-Myers Squibb, and marketed by BMS and Pfizer.

In 2011 and 2012, the steady surge of blockbuster pharmaceuticals falling off the patent cliff became a stampede. An astonishing number of big-selling drugs that had established and sustained branded drug makers’ profits for years fell victim to the expiration of their patent lives and market exclusivity, roiling the pharmaceutical marketplace and redefining the pricing model for many of the most widely prescribed classes of medicines.


BOUDRY, Switzerland — A Swiss subsidiary of drug maker Celgene Corp. said its chemotherapy drug produced "significant" improvement in progression-free survival in patients with a deadly skin cancer that had spread elsewhere in the body.

PARSIPPANY, N.J. — Watson Pharmaceuticals announced that its subsidiary, Watson Laboratories, has received Food and Drug Administration approval on its abbreviated new drug application for irbesartan tablets — the generic equivalent to Sanofi's Avapro — in the 75-mg, 150-mg and 300-mg strengths.

PITTSBURGH — Generic drug maker Mylan has received regulatory approval for a drug used to treat high blood pressure, also known as hypertension, the company said Friday, saying that it would launch both drugs immediately.

Mylan said the Food and Drug Administration approved its irbesartan tablets in the 75 mg, 150 mg and 300 mg strengths and irbesartan and hydrochlorothiazide tablets in the 150 mg/12.5 mg and 300 mg/12.5 mg strengths. The drugs are respectively generic versions of Sanofi's Avapro and Avalide.

PRINCETON, N.J. — AstraZeneca paid $3.2 billion to Amylin Pharmaceuticals Thursday following the latter's acquisition by Bristol-Myers Squibb, AstraZeneca and Bristol said.

The payment was made as part of the expansion of a deal between the drug manufacturers made in 2007 to develop diabetes drugs. Bristol announced Wednesday that it had completed its acquisition of Amylin, making the San Diego-based drug maker a wholly owned subsidiary.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Winn-Dixie announced the generic form of Plavix (clopidogrel) now is available for $4 for 30-day and $10 for 90-day prescriptions as part of the company's prescription savings program.

Winn-Dixie recently launched a prescription savings program in all of its pharmacies that offers deep discounts on more than 400 generic medications and varied discounts on branded and other generic medication.

NEW YORK — The Food and Drug Administration has approved a drug made by Eli Lilly and Bristol-Myers Squibb for treating a form of colorectal cancer, the two companies said.

Lilly and Bristol announced the approval of Erbitux (cetuximab) for treating colorectal cancer that is KRAS mutation-negative, expresses the epidermal growth factor receptor and has spread to other parts of the body, also known as metastasis. The drug is approved for use alongside a chemotherapy combination containing irinotecan, 5-fluorouracil and leucovorin, also known as FOLFIRI.

FOSTER CITY, Calif. — Drug maker Gilead Sciences has submitted a regulatory approval application to the Food and Drug Administration for a drug designed to increase the blood levels of certain drugs for HIV.