Generics

AstraZeneca, Teva settle Nexium, Prilosec patent disputes

Generics/News | Posted 05/02/2010

AstraZeneca has deferred the threat to its blockbuster drug Nexium (esomeprazole magnesium) in a settlement with Israel's Teva that is likely to delay generic competition for a further four years.

EU regulators request details of drug patent settlements

Generics/News | Posted 02/02/2010

The European Commission reported on 12 January 2010 that it requested information from several drugmakers in relation to patent settlement agreements made between July 2008 and December 2009.

European patients trust generic medicines

Generics/Research | Posted 02/02/2010

In total 2,800 patients participated in the European Health study by InSites Consulting. Seven out of ten participants indicated the ability to differentiate generic medicines from brand medicines. While generic medicines contain the same active ingredients as patented brands, we still discovered that 44% of patients who claim to be familiar with generic medicines do not believe this. However this does not detract from the effectiveness patients ascribe to ‘white products’. Eighty three per cent believe that generic medicines are equally effective as the original formula.

Sanofi-aventis still owns clopidogrel users patent for acute coronary syndrome, in contrast to most generic clopidogrels

Generics/News | Posted 01/02/2010

Since the European product patent on sanofi-aventis’ clopidogrel antiplatelet agent Plavixâ – one of the world's best-selling drugs with global sales of US$8.6 billion in 2008, co-marketed with Bristol-Myers Squibb – has expired, several generic clopidogrel products enter the European market. However, sanofi-aventis still owns the usage patent on one of the clopidogrel indications, namely on acute coronary syndrome.

Will Teva join Big Pharma by 2015?

Generics/News | Posted 25/01/2010

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries’ annual revenue will probably more than double to US$31 billion by 2015, as rising healthcare costs push patients and policy makers toward (bio)generic drugs, Chief Executive Officer, Shlomo Yanai, told analysts on 7 January 2010 in an Internet presentation from New York. According to FiercePharma, that would make it big enough to become one of the Top 10 drugmakers worldwide on the 2008 revenue ranking at least.

Steady gains in perceptions of generics in Japan

Generics/News | Posted 25/01/2010

As reported by Scrip News on 17 December 2009, the latest survey of patient and pharmacist perceptions of generic drugs in Japan shows a high percentage of patients would be willing to receive such products, while pharmacists view them as important in keeping down healthcare costs.

Should Indian generic firms partner with Big Pharma?

Generics/General | Posted 20/01/2010

After years of warding off generics, large pharmaceutical companies are embracing generic drug manufacturers and vying for a share of the off-patent drugs business. Indian generic companies, once considered business pariahs, are the focus of plenty of action, Anju Ghangurde reports in Scrip News of 9 December 2009.