Content about Endo Pharmaceuticals

NEW YORK — Purdue Pharma's patent for OxyContin expired Tuesday, opening up the opioid painkiller to generic competition, but authorities have raised concerns about what they call the potential for generic versions to be abused.

SILVER SPRING, Md. — One of the most serious drug abuse problems in the country doesn't involve heroin, methamphetamine or crack, but abuse of legal prescription drugs, particularly opioid painkillers, a problem that the Food and Drug Administration aims to change with draft guidance released Wednesday.

PARSIPPANY, N.J. — The Food and Drug Administration has approved a generic medicated patch for treating pain made by Watson Pharmaceuticals, the company said.

Watson announced the approval of lidocaine topical patch in the 5% strength. The drug is a generic version of Endo Pharmaceuticals' Lidoderm, which had sales of about $1.2 billion during the 12-month period ended in June 2012, according to IMS Health.

CHADDS FORD, Pa. — The parent company of Endo Pharmaceuticals has changed its name, the company said.

Shareholders of Endo Pharmaceutical Holdings voted at the company's annual shareholder meeting Wednesday to change the company's name to Endo Health Solutions. The company said the name change would more accurately reflect its new business model, which aggregates four operating businesses into one enterprise.

CHADDS FORD, Pa. — Endo's parent company is looking to change its name and will integrate four of its operating units, the drug maker said Thursday.

Endo said the company, currently called Endo Pharmaceutical Holdings, would ask shareholders to approve changing the name to Endo Health Solutions at its annual shareholder meeting in May.

CHADDS FORD, Pa. — The Food and Drug Administration has approved a new formulation of a painkiller made by Endo Pharmaceuticals designed to thwart drug abuse, Endo said Monday.

Endo announced the FDA's approval of a crush-resistant version of Opana ER (oxymorphone). Drug abusers often crush opioid pills in order to smoke, inhale or inject them. Endo developed the new formulation of the drug, scheduled for launch in 2012, using Grunenthal's Intac technology. The new version will otherwise be identical to the old one.

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — Qualitest Pharmaceuticals, an Endo Pharmaceuticals subsidiary, issued a voluntary, nationwide recall of multiple lots of oral contraceptives at the retail level.

Qualitest said it recalled lots of the following birth control pills due to a packaging error, whereby select blisters were rotated 180 degrees within the card, reversing the weekly tablet orientation and making the lot number and expiry date no longer visible. This error, the drug maker said, could leave women without adequate contraception and at risk for unintended pregnancy:

PITTSBURGH — Mylan announced Wednesday that it filed with the Food and Drug Administration for approval of a generic version of a drug for migraine headaches made by Endo Pharmaceuticals.

Mylan said it was the first to file for approval of a generic version of Frova (frovatriptan succinate EQ) tablets in the 2.5-mg strength. In response, Endo has filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Mylan in response to the filing.

Frova had sales of $68.2 million during the 12-month period ended in June, according to IMS Health.

CHADDS FORD, Pa. — Endo Pharmaceuticals has acquired a provider of devices and therapies for male and female pelvic health.

Endo said its acquisition of American Medical Systems has boosted the drug maker's devices and services business segment, and the combination of AMS with Endo's existing platform will provide additional cost-effective solutions across the entire urology spectrum.

The company announced its definitive agreement to acquire AMS in a cash transaction valued for approximately $2.9 billion.

PITTSBURGH — A generic drug maker has launched its version of a pain medication made by Endo Pharmaceuticals.

Mylan and its subsidiary Mylan Pharmaceuticals launched oxycodone and aspirin tablets USP in the 4.8355-mg/325-mg strength, based on an agreement with licensing partner Coastal Pharmaceuticals. The drug, designed to treat moderate to severe pain, is a generic version of Percodan.

Oxycodone and aspirin tablets had U.S. sales of approximately $6.5 million for the 12 months ended Dec. 31, 2010, according to IMS Health.

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — A subsidiary of Endo Pharmaceuticals has won approval from the Food and Drug Administration for an oral contraceptive.

Qualitest Pharmaceuticals announced Friday the approval of Emoquette (desogestrel and ethinyl estradiol) tablets in the 0.15-mg/0.03-mg strength.

The drug is a generic version of Johnson & Johnson’s Ortho-Cept.

CHADDS FORD, Pa. — Mylan has announced its intention to market a version of a painkiller made by Endo Pharmaceuticals and partner company Teikoku Seiyaku ahead of patent expiration.

Endo said Monday that Teikoku Seiyaku and U.S. subsidiary Teikoku Pharma USA had received a Paragraph IV certification from Mylan stating the latter’s intention to market a generic lidocaine topical patch. The drug is a generic version of Endo’s and Teikoku’s Lidoderm.