Content about Migraine

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

Mylan announced the approval of zolmitriptan tablets in the 2.5 mg and 5 mg strengths. The drug maker plans to launch the product immediately.

The drug is a generic version of IPR Pharmaceuticals' Zomig and is used for the acute treatment of migraine in adults. Various versions of the drug had sales of $152.8 million during the 12-month period that ended in March, according to IMS Health.

With private label across analgesics up an estimated 11.3% to $1.7 billion, retailers are going to need to make some tough decisions as two internal analgesic powerhouses — McNeil's Tylenol and Novartis' Excedrin — make their way back onto market after respective recalls. Within internal analgesic tablets, sales of store brand equivalents were up 15% off of a 2011 base of around $1.2 billion. The branded competition also were benefactors — both Pfizer's Advil and Bayer's Aleve generated more than $50 million in incremental sales on top of 2011 sales.

WOODCLIFF LAKE, N.J. — Par Pharmaceutical Cos. has started shipping two formulations of a generic drug for treating migraines, the company said.

Par announced the shipment of rizatriptan benzoate tablets and rizatriptan benzoate orally disintegrating tablets in the 5-mg and 10-mg strengths. The drug is used to treat acute migraine with or without aura in patients ages 6 years and older.

The drug has sales of about $653 million per year, according to IMS Health.

PARSIPPANY, N.J. — Novartis Consumer Health on Wednesday announced the development of a convenient migraine trigger tracking tool, My Migraine Triggers App, with a neurologist. The company also partnered with Jordin Sparks, singer, actress and Broadway performer, and Keri Peterson, an internist at Lenox Hill Hospital, on the launch of "Managing Migraines: Know Your Triggers. Know Your Treatment," an educational campaign to raise awareness around the importance of knowing individual migraine triggers. 

MORRISTOWN, N.J. — Bayer HealthCare's Consumer Care Division on Tuesday introduced Bayer Migraine Formula, an over-the-counter medication designed to relieve migraine pain and accompanying symptoms like nausea, phonophobia (sound sensitivity) and photophobia (light sensitivity) through a formulation of aspirin, acetaminophen and caffeine.

HAYWARD, Calif. — Impax Pharmaceuticals said Wednesday that it obtained exclusive U.S. commercial rights to a drug for migraine headaches made by AstraZeneca.

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.

SCHOFIELD, Wis. — PuraMed BioScience on Monday announced that headache researcher Roger Cady will be exhibiting a poster presentation of his independent clinical study of PuraMed's nonprescription migraine medication LipiGesic-M at the 2011 Headache Update Conference being held in Orlando, Fla., July 14 to 17.

IRVINE, Calif. — Anticipating regulatory approval, MAP Pharmaceuticals and Allergan will collaborate to promote a drug for treating acute migraine to physicians.

The two companies announced the collaboration Monday for Levadex (dihydroergotamine), an inhaled drug. Phase-3 trials for the drug are finished, and MAP plans to submit an approval application for the drug to the Food and Drug Administration in the first half of this year.

RHINEBECK, N.Y. Topical BioMedics on Thursday announced that its Topricin pain relief and healing cream has been awarded a patent as a treatment of pain associated with fibromyalgia. A Food and Drug Administration-regulated topical biomedicine, Topricin was introduced by the company in 1994, the company stated.

NORTH WALES, Pa. Teva Pharmaceuticals has launched a drug for treating migraine headaches, the generic drug maker said.

Teva announced the launch of naratriptan tablets in the 1 mg and 2.5-mg strengths. The tablets are a generic version of GlaxoSmithKline’s Amerge. The drug is used to treat acute migraine attacks in adults with or without visual disturbances preceding the attacks known as aura.

COLUMBUS, Ohio Roxane Labs announced Thursday the launch of two new generic drugs.

The Columbus, Ohio-based generics subsidiary of German drug maker Boehringer Ingelheim, launched naratriptan tablets in the 1-mg and 2.5-mg strengths, and anastrozole tablets in the 1-mg strength.