Generics

EU to seek details of drugmakers' patent deals

Generics/News | Posted 08/12/2009

EU regulators will ask drug companies for details of deals with makers of generic medicines as part of a crackdown on firms suspected of blocking cheaper treatments, a European Commission (EC) official said on 19 November 2009.

Pfizer aims for Japanese generics market

Generics/General | Posted 08/12/2009

Yet another US drugmaker is making eyes at Japan. Pfizer, the world's largest drugmaker, said on 19 November 2009 that it may start selling generic drugs in Japan from 2011 as part of its efforts to diversify its operations.

Multinationals trying to bring Indian generics into disrepute

Generics/General | Posted 07/12/2009

India has alleged that some multinational companies have again been trying to bring its generics industry into disrepute.

Generic polypill could reduce heart disease

Generics/General | Posted 02/12/2009

Could a combination of three blood-pressure-lowering drugs at low doses, with a statin, aspirin, and folic acid in one pill (the polypill), reduce cardiovascular events by more than 80% in healthy individuals? This was examined in a study funded by Cadila Pharmaceuticals in Ahmedabad, India (that wants to market the polypill as the ‘Polycap’), in which the effect of such a pill was assessed on blood pressure, lipids, heart rate, and urinary thromboxane B2, as well as its tolerability.

Growing generic injectables market: a cousin to biosimilars

Generics/News | Posted 02/12/2009

Drugmakers are waking up to the opportunities in the generic injectables market for several reasons, not least of which are the high-profit margins the products can deliver. The segment also involves fast-growing therapeutic areas like oncology, anti-infectives and central nervous system (CNS) disorders. And for companies with an eye on the long-term prize, commercial and manufacturing experience in specialty generics could pave the way for a smoother entry into the biosimilars market when a regulatory pathway for low-cost biologics is created in the US.

India and EU to resolve generic drug dispute

Generics/News | Posted 01/12/2009

India will resolve a dispute with the EU over generic drugs in an amicable way, Trade Minister Anand Sharma said on 6 November 2009.

Competition in China’s generic drug market intensifies

Generics/General | Posted 01/12/2009

Patent protection for 35 kinds of the best-selling drugs is on track to expire by 2010, including medicines for the treatment of ulcers, hypertension and hyperlipemia. This is expected to have a major impact on the Chinese pharmaceutical industry, where generic drugs account for 97% market share. Industry analysts pointed out that although China has a large production scale of generic drugs, the level of technology remains relatively low. China is home to more than 6,000 pharmaceutical makers. Most of them battle it out at the low end of the price scale with the result that, the country’s profit margin in generic drugs is only equal to one-sixth of the international average.

Generics drive Dr Reddy's Q2 revenues up 14%

Generics/News | Posted 23/11/2009

On 23 October 2009, Dr Reddy's Laboratories in India reported a 14% increase in consolidated revenues to Rs18.4 billion (Euros 263.94 million) for the second quarter that ended on 30 September 2009, driven by growth in the generics business.

FDA compared generic and innovator drugs based on 12 years of bioequivalence data

Generics/General | Posted 17/11/2009

In the US, manufacturers seeking approval to market a generic drug product must submit data demonstrating that the generic formulation provides the same rate and extent of absorption as (i.e., is bioequivalent to) the innovator drug product. Thus, most orally administered generic drug products in the US are approved based on results of one or more clinical bioequivalence studies.

Exposure-response analysis on bioequivalent carbamazepine tablets not clinically relevant proof for toxicity differences

Generics/General | Posted 12/11/2009

Generic immediate-release carbamazepine tablets are AB-rated generic versions of Novartis’s Tegratol. In this market, Taro is the leading supplier with half the market. Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd follows with more than a quarter of the market, and Sun’s Caraco is the third-leading supplier with a share of about 18%. The only other supplier currently in the market is Apotex.