Content about Purdue Pharma

PARSIPPANY, N.J. — Generic drug maker Actavis is settling a patent-infringement suit with Purdue Pharma concerning the opioid painkiller OxyContin, Actavis said Friday, saying it expected to make more than $100 million in the deal between 2014 and 2015.

SILVER SPRING, Md. — The Food and Drug Administration will not approve generic versions of Purdue Pharma's painkiller OxyContin based on earlier versions of the drug that did not include features to thwart abuse, the agency said Tuesday.

The FDA announced that it approved updated labeling for reformulated OxyContin (oxycodone) extended-release tablets indicating that it has physical and chemical properties designed to deter drug abusers from crushing or dissolving the pills in order to inject or snort them.

STAMFORD, Conn. — An insomnia drug made by Purdue Pharma "significantly" reduced the time it took patients to return to sleep after they'd woke up in the middle of the night, according to a new study.

The placebo-controlled study, published in the journal Sleep, tested the drug Intermezzo (zolpidem tartrate) sublingual tablets on 295 adults with primary insomnia and difficulty returning to sleep after waking up in the middle of the night. Purdue said Intermezzo was the only drug approved by the Food and Drug Administration for treating such patients.

NEW YORK — Canada's federal government has allowed the approval process for a generic opioid painkiller to go forward despite objections from provincial and other authorities, according to published reports.

The Associated Press reported that Canadian health minister Leona Aglukkaq turned down requests from provincial and aboriginal tribal authorities to delay approval of a generic version of Purdue Pharma's OxyContin (oxycodone). OxyContin will lose its patent protection in Canada on Sunday.

STAMFORD, Conn. — Drug maker Purdue Pharma and the National Community Pharmacists Association have introduced the latest version of a video designed to educate pharmacists and other pharmacy staff about pharmacy crime.

The video, part of RxPatrol, Purdue's broader initiative to combat pharmacy crime, launched on the initiative's website. Titled "RxPatrol Pharmacy Safety and Security," it is free of charge, and is part of the NCPA's Protect Your Pharmacy Now! initiative, which started in 2008.

News broke last month that officials in the South American nation of Uruguay were planning to possibly legalize marijuana. Meanwhile, activists in Colorado have sought to legalize the drug in that state, while Chicago’s city council decriminalized possession of small amounts of marijuana and reduced the penalty to a ticket.


STAMFORD, Conn. — Drug maker Purdue Pharma has introduced a new educational resource for healthcare professionals designed to curb the abuse of prescription drugs, the company said Monday.

STAMFORD, Conn. — Purdue Pharma has launched a new way for fighting pharmacy crime, the drug maker said Tuesday.

PITTSBURGH — Mylan has received final approval from the Food and Drug Administration for a drug designed to treat moderate to severe pain.

Mylan said its abbreviated new drug application for morphine sulfate extended-release tablets in the 15-mg, 30-mg, 60-mg, 100-mg and 200-mg strengths was approved by the FDA. The opioid analgesic is a generic version of Purdue Pharma's MS Contin. Mylan said it is launching the product immediately.

Morphine sulfate ER tablets had U.S. sales of approximately $173 million for the 12 months ended in June, according to IMS Health.

STAMFORD, Conn. — Purdue Pharma has launched a new website designed to combat abuse of prescription drugs, the company said Wednesday.

The website, RxSafetyMatters.org, is designed to help healthcare professionals, police and community organizations combat prescription drug diversion and abuse. Purdue is the developer of OxyContin (oxycodone), an extended-release painkiller that is frequently a target of drug abusers.

HAYWARD, Calif. — Another generic drug maker is seeking to market its version of a popular opioid painkiller.

Impax said it had filed applications with the Food and Drug Administration seeking approval for a generic version of Purdue Pharma’s Oxycontin (oxycodone) controlled-release tablets in the 10-, 15-, 20-, 30-, 40-, 60- and 80-mg strengths.

Purdue filed suit against Impax on April 8 in the U.S. District Courts for the Southern District of New York, seeking to prevent Impax from marketing its version before the expiration of Purdue's patents.

STAMFORD, Conn. — Drug maker Purdue Pharma is giving a $1 million grant to the state of Florida to help fund the state’s prescription drug monitoring program, the company said Wednesday.

Purdue said the program was designed to combat illegal diversion and abuse of prescription drugs. Purdue is the maker of OxyContin (oxycodone), an extended-release opioid painkiller that often is a target of abuse.