Content about Novartis

WALTHAM, Mass. — William Gibson, the science-fiction author who helped create the cyberpunk genre in the 1980s and paved the way for “The Matrix” movie franchise, once said, “The future is already here—it’s just not evenly distributed.”

He was correct. Emerging technologies, ranging from computers to mobile phones, historically have migrated from the theoretical to the inaccessible to the aristocratic to the indispensable and finally to the mundane.

NEW YORK Government officials said problems have arisen with the Food and Drug Administration’s approval of a generic blood-thinning drug due to its previous relationship with the generic drug’s manufacturer, according to published reports.

LAKE FOREST, Ill. Drug maker Hospira has launched a generic treatment for bacterial infections, Hospira said Thursday.

The company, which specializes in generic injectables, announced the launch of piperacillin and tazobactam for injection. The drug is a generic version of Pfizer’s Zosyn.

Various versions of the drug had sales of $797 million during the 12-month period ended in August, according to IMS Health. Sandoz, the generics division of Novartis, also launched its own version of the drug Thursday.

JERUSALEM The Food and Drug Administration granted approval for Teva's abbreviated new drug application to market a generic version of a drug designed to treat peptic ulcers.

The generic drug maker said that its drug, lansoprazole, is a generic version of Takeda’s Prevacid SoluTab. Annual sales of the branded product were approximately $453 million in the United States, according to IMS sales data.

Sandoz, the generics division of Swiss drug maker Novartis, also announced the launch of its own version of Prevacid SoluTab.

HUENENBERG, Switzerland Eye care company Alcon has appointed a new executive.

The Swiss drug maker announced Monday the appointment of Robert Karsunky as SVP and CFO, effective Nov. 1. He succeeds Richard Croarkin, who has served as Alcon’s CFO since August 2007.

BURLINGTON, Mass. The market for hypertension drugs will drop by $3 billion by the end of the decade due to generic competition, according to a new report by healthcare market research firm Decision Resources.

The report, announced Tuesday, found that the market for drugs to treat high blood pressure would decline from 2009’s $26 billion to $23 billion by 2019 in the United States, United Kingdom, France, Italy, Spain and Japan.

ARDEE, Ireland Drug maker Warner Chilcott will buy the U.S. rights to a treatment for overactive bladder for $400 million, the company said Friday.

The drug maker announced that it would terminate its co-promotion agreement with Novartis concerning the drug Enablex (darifenacin) and purchase the rights to sell it in the United States. It may be required to make additional milestone payments of up to $20 million to Novartis.

EAST HANOVER, N.J. Swiss drug maker Novartis said its investigational drug is the first to show promise in a late-stage clinical trial for Cushing’s disease, a potentially fatal hormonal disorder.

BRISTOL, Tenn. Jeffrey Bailey has been appointed as King Pharmaceuticals' chief commercial officer, leading all sales, marketing, managed care, sales operations and business analytics for the drug maker.

BRISTOL, Tenn. Jeffrey Bailey has been appointed as King Pharmaceuticals' chief commercial officer, leading all sales, marketing, managed care, sales operations and business analytics for the drug maker.

BASEL, Switzerland Novartis on Thursday announced that it has completed its purchase of Alcon stock from Nestle, resulting in 77% ownership of Alcon. This has been achieved by completing the acquisition of the remaining 52% of Alcon shares owned by Nestle for a total of $28.3 billion.

SILVER SPRING, Md. The Food and Drug Administration has approved the first generic version of a Sanofi-Aventis injected drug used to treat deep vein thrombosis, the agency said Friday.

The FDA approved generic enoxaparin sodium, a version of Sanofi’s Lovenox, developed under a collaboration between Momenta Pharmaceuticals and Sandoz, the generics division of Swiss drug maker Novartis.