Content about Ranbaxy Labs

PRINCETON, N.J. — Ranbaxy Labs will market a drug for depression under an agreement with another company, the drug maker said Tuesday.

Ranbaxy said it had entered an in-licensing agreement with Alembic Pharmaceuticals to market desvenlafaxine base extended-release tablets. Alembic is the sponsor of a new drug application filed with the Food and Drug Administration for the drug, which is bioequivalent to Pfizer's Pristiq. Pristiq had sales of $590 million during the 12-month period that ended in January.

WASHINGTON — A court has ruled in favor of Indian generic drug maker Ranbaxy Labs in a case concerning a generic blood pressure drug, the legal firm representing the drug maker said.

Zuckerman Spaeder LLP said the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia upheld a Food and Drug Administration decision protecting Ranbaxy's market exclusivity for a generic version of Novartis' drug Diovan (valsartan).

PRINCETON, N.J. — Ranbaxy Labs has launched a new treatment for acne under a licensing agreement with a Canadian drug maker.

Ranbaxy announced Monday the launch of Absorbica (isotretinoin) capsules for treating severe recalcitrant nodular acne in patients ages 12 years and older. The drug was launched under a license from Mississauga, Ontario-based Cipher Pharmaceuticals.

Normally, oral isotretinoin must be taken with a high-fat meal due to its chemical properties, but Absorbica is designed to be taken without food.

PRINCETON, N.J. — Ranbaxy Labs has launched an authorized generic drug for treating dry mouth associated with an autoimmune disorder, the company said Tuesday.

The India-based generic drug maker announced the launch of cevimeline hydrochloride in the 30-mg strength under an agreement with parent company Daiichi Sankyo. The drug is used in patients with Sjogren's syndrome, which affects the moisture-producing glands.

GURGAON, India — Consolidated sales for generic drug maker Ranbaxy Labs totaled $588 million in the second quarter ended June 30, a 28% rise over the year-ago period, the company said.

The drug maker reported that North American sales soared 140% over the year-ago period to a total of $272 million, aided by strong base business. U.S. sales for Ranbaxy were $255 million for the quarter, thanks to strong base business and exclusivity sales of such drugs as atorvastatin and atorvastatin and amlodipine (Lipitor and Caduet, respectively).

The Food and Drug Administration has approved a branded acne drug made by Ranbaxy Labs, the drug maker said. Ranbaxy announced the FDA approval of Absorica (isotretinoin), a drug for treating severe recalcitrant nodular acne. The company expects to launch it in the United States in fourth quarter 2012 under an agreement with Canada-based Cipher Pharmaceuticals.


GURGAON, India — First-quarter consolidated sales for generic drug maker Ranbaxy Labs totaled $736 million, the company reported last week.

The company said the quarter's sales marked a 55% increase over the year-ago period, when sales totaled $474 million. U.S. sales for the company totaled $416 million, up from $170 million in first quarter 2011. Ranbaxy attributed its sales boost to the launch of generic Lipitor (atorvastatin), as well as sales of generic Caduet (amlodipine and atorvastatin).

NEW YORK — Move over, Lipitor: There's a new top drug on the market, according to published reports.

In the Feb. 7, 2011, issue, Drug Store News named three major issues that would define 2011 for the world of generic drugs. Those issues were drug safety, generic user fees and patent settlements.

GURGAON, India — Ranbaxy Labs said Wednesday that it had resolved long-standing issues concerning two of its manufacturing plants in India with the U.S. government.

WHAT IT MEANS AND WHY IT'S IMPORTANT — With annual sales gaining on the $8 billion mark in the United States alone, according to IMS Health, Lipitor (atorvastatin) is the top-selling drug in the world, and the price markdown that Ranbaxy Labs’ launch (and subsequent generic launches) will bring, greatly will expand its accessibility. So it’s no surprise that it has attracted so much media attention over the past few weeks.

NEW YORK — Pfizer's efforts to protect the sales of its blockbuster cholesterol drug Lipitor have attracted scrutiny from members of Congress, according to published reports.

The New York Times reported Thursday that three senators — Max Baucus, D-Mont.; Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa; and Herb Kohl, D-Wis. — had asked Pfizer and five other companies to provide details of their agreements to prevent dispensing of generic versions of Lipitor (atorvastatin) and dispense only the branded version.