Content about Pharmaceutical industry

LONDON — British drug maker GlaxoSmithKline has acquired Swiss vaccine development company Okairos for $325 million, GSK said Wednesday.

Privately owned Okairos develops technologies used to create vaccines, and GSK said it would use them in the development of the "next generation" of vaccines for preventing infections and for treatment of infections and diseases, saying it would allow the development of the "next generation.

PARSIPPANY, N.J. — A federal court has blocked Actavis from distributing its generic version of a drug for treating asthma, the company said.

Actavis said the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit had issued an injunction against Actavis' distribution of budesonide inhalation suspension at the request of AstraZeneca, which sells the drug under the trade name Pulmicort Respules.

PRINCETON, N.J. — The Food and Drug Administration has approved a generic heart-disease drug made by Sandoz, the company said Wednesday.

Sandoz, the generics division of Swiss drug maker Novartis, announced the approval of candesartan cilexetil tablets, a generic version of AstraZeneca's Atacand.

The drug is used to treat some types of heart failure in adults with left ventricular systolic dysfunction, as well as high blood pressure in adults and children as young as 1.

Atacand had sales of $120.3 million in 2012, according to IMS Health.

HAYWARD, Calif. — Impax Labs has launched an authorized generic drug for migraine headaches under a partnership with AstraZeneca, Impax said.

Impax said its generics division, Global Pharmaceuticals, began shipping authorized generic zolmitriptan tablets and orally disintegrating tablets in the 2.5 mg and 5 mg strengths. The drug is a version of AstraZeneca's Zomig.

Zomig had sales of about $196 million during the 12-month period that ended in April, according to IMS Health.

PARSIPPANY, N.J. — Actavis is looking into the possibility of buying Warner Chilcott, the generic drug maker said Friday.

Actavis, the world's third-largest generic drug maker, said it had entered into early-stage discussions with Warner Chilcott about a potential combination of the two, but that no agreement had been reached, and that it wouldn't issue further comment about the matter.

The November 2011 expiration of Pfizer's patent on the cholesterol drug Lipitor and Ranbaxy Labs' release of the generic version received significant play in the media, particularly due to the theretofore status of Lipitor (atorvastatin calcium) as the drug with the highest sales in the country, $7.7 billion in the United States, according to healthcare analytics firm IMS Health.

WHITEHOUSE STATION, N.J. — Drug maker Merck is seeking regulatory approval for an experimental tablet placed under the tongue that could be used to treat ragweed allergies.

Merck said the Food and Drug Administration accepted a regulatory application for its ragweed pollen sublingual allergy immunotherapy tablet. Ragweed, also known as Ambrosia artemisiifolia, is a major cause of seasonal allergies in the United States. Merck also submitted an application for a similar drug, for Timothy grass pollen allergies, in March.

NEW YORK — Florida's state legislature approved a bill last week that will allow pharmacists to substitute biosimilars for brand name biotech drugs.

The bill, which was approved last Tuesday and is scheduled to take effect on July 1, institutes requirements for pharmacists to substitute biosimilars when they are determined to be biosimilar to and interchangeable with the brand name product, while also requiring the state board of pharmacy to maintain a current list of interchangeable products.

INDIANAPOLIS — Drug makers Boehringer Ingelheim and Eli Lilly have started a campaign designed to educate healthcare professionals about the role a type of protein plays in maintaining blood-sugar balance.

BI and Lilly created the website sglt.com to inform users about the role of sodium glucose co-transporters. The program also includes a video, Glucose Perspectives, in the form of a sketch animation by the United Kingdom's Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce.

PARSIPPANY, N.J. — Drug maker Actavis has acquired rights to a treatment for an experimental bacterial vaginosis from Valeant Pharmaceuticals International for about $55 million, the drug makers said Wednesday.

Actavis Specialty Brands' acquisition of Valeant's metronidazole vaginal gel is in the 1.3% strength. The deal includes an upfront payment, milestone payments and royalties for the first three years after the drug is commercialized. Actavis hopes to market the drug as early as the middle of next year.

HYDERABAD — The Food and Drug Administration has approved two generic drugs made by Aurobindo Pharma, the drug maker said.

The company announced Tuesday the approval of quinapril tablets in the 5-mg, 10-mg, 20-mg and 40-mg strengths. The drug is a generic version of Pfizer's Accupril and is used to treat high blood pressure. Various versions of the drug had sales of about $49 million during the 12-month period ending in September, according to IMS Health.