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For branded drug makers, the pharmaceutical patent cliff has never loomed higher or steeper. The exposure of so many of the world’s biggest-selling medicines to generic competition for the first time is redefining the pricing model for many of the most widely prescribed classes of pharmaceuticals — reducing costs for health plans, payers and patients; scrambling drug makers’ balance sheets; and potentially boosting both drug utilization and adherence rates as reduced out-of-pocket costs induce more patients to fill their prescriptions.


ALLEGAN, Mich. — Perrigo is seeking regulatory approval for what it called the first generic version of a drug for treating bronchospasm.

Procter & Gamble’s Prilosec OTC still is the best-selling antacid on the market, with more than $252.7 million in annual sales for the 52 weeks ended July 8 across food, drug and mass (excluding Walmart), followed by fellow proton-pump inhibitor Novartis’ Prevacid 24HR ($104.1 million).


Both of those antacid heavy hitters are losing dollar share to their generic-
equivalent competitors, however, leaving GlaxoSmithKline’s venerable Tums brand as the largest growth brand within antacids ($91.3 million in sales, up 2.5%).


Everybody loves a comeback story, and it looks as though the pharmacy retail industry has one of its own in the making as Rite Aid’s latest earnings report showed another strong quarter for the Camp Hill, Pa.-based chain, which has been steadily growing its sales and narrowing its losses for several quarters already.


MINNEAPOLIS — Supervalu on Thursday announced a number of dramatic measures to stabilize its business — reduction in capital spending, suspension of the company's dividend, even the exploration of possible strategic alternatives — in conjunction with its declining first-quarter earnings results.

PITTSBURGH — Mylan is challenging the patent protection on a Pfizer drug for treating depression, following an announcement of a similar challenge by Watson made earlier this week.

Mylan said it had filed for Food and Drug Administration approval of a generic version of Pristiq (desvenlafaxine succinate) extended-release tablets in the 50-mg and 100-mg strengths.

Is Walgreens’ decision to buy a major stake in European drug store giant Alliance Boots a good idea?

NEW YORK — WebMD has tapped Pfizer's group president of animal health, consumer health care and corporate strategy to serve as its new chief executive.

Cavan Redmond was appointed CEO of WebMD, as well as a member of the company's board of directors on Thursday. He brings to his new role more than 20 years of healthcare experience, encompassing a broad range of global healthcare businesses, including biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, consumer health care and infant nutritionals.

MINNEAPOLIS — The president of Shoppers Food and Pharmacy will transition to a new role, parent company Supervalu announced Tuesday.

AUSTIN, Texas — Sensible Organics, a maker of organic personal care products and one of the first beauty care companies to receive the U.S. Department of Agriculture national organic certification, has announced that it will launch its Nourish Organic Food for Healthy Skin brand at Whole Foods stores nationwide.


Nourish is among the first personal care brands to offer 100% USDA certified organic formulations offered in distinctive scents made of The Nourish collection scents include fresh fig, almond vanilla, lavender mint and wild berries. 


PARSIPPANY, N.J. — Watson Pharmaceuticals is challenging the patent protection on a drug made by Abbott for treating cholesterol, the company said.

Watson, through a subsidiary, filed with the Food and Drug Administration for approval of niacin extended-release tablets in the 500-mg and 1,000-mg strengths. The drug is a generic version of Abbott's Niaspan.

PHOENIX — Managed care and prescription plans are working to switch patients to generic versions of Pfizer's Lipitor despite the drug maker's efforts to reduce costs for the branded version, a new study suggested.

According to a report released Wednesday by Wolters Kluwer Pharma Solutions' inThought research group, while Lipitor (atorvastatin) has 41% of the market share of all dispensed prescriptions of atorvastatin, it has 35% of the payer approval volume.